Then Came the Spark
by TheOtherWeasley03
Summary: The relationship between Jared and Kim is underrated and overshadowed throughout the series, but that ends here! This story will chronicle the relationship that develops between the couple, starting with the day Jared returns to school. Kim's an honors student, but struggles with anxiety; Jared has new responsibilities and a new reason for keeping the reservation safe: Kim.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter One

Jared's POV

 _Keep calm. Stay focused. Keep calm. Stay focused_ …. Easy words of wisdom from Sam who never had to go back to high school after his body suddenly erupted into a wolf after soccer practice. Keep calm. Stay focused. Right… more like: don't fuck up and turn into a giant wolf in math class. And yet… _Keep calm. Stay focused._

Honking the horn of my old beat up truck, left over from my dad who was stupid enough to leave it behind when he ran off a few years back, I can't help but stretch my neck, trying to get the muscles beneath my skin to loosen up. Stressed? Yes. Nervous? Yes. But more importantly: running seriously fucking late because Paul's sorry ass is dragging.

Out of the corner of my eye I catch his mom moving some of her curtains aside trying to signal to me… She's holding up her pointer finger mouthing "One more minute." In spite of my current mood I smile and nod back politely… I'm sure she's just as tired of Paul's lazy ass as I am and praying that I don't leave him behind, which is so not happening. If I have to get back to school after the last two months of sheer madness then Paul does too.

Closing my eyes and relaxing my head back against the head rest I can't help but remind myself that I'm not alone in the all of the strangeness. I begin repeating my mantra from the past few months in my head while I continue waiting for Paul – _Yes. I turn into a wolf. Yes. That's weird. But, that makes me important. I have a job. A purpose. A reason for existing. I am meant to be more than just some high school baseball player who maybe – might possibly – have had a small shot of going off to college if he could've gotten his grades up._ Suddenly I can hear the front door slam shut as Paul struts across the green grass of his front lawn.

"Long night?" I ask Paul once he's finished throwing his beat up book bag into the rear of the truck cabin and squeezed himself into the passenger seat.

"You could say that; Sam had me running the perimeter until about 2am." Paul wiped his hand over his face, pulling at his eyes before smacking his cheeks a few times. "You'd think he could've let me off a bit earlier with school and all…" Paul groaned as I took off down the road.

"Mhmm," I hum noncommittally, scenery flashing by as I take turns quicker than I should and blow past a few stop signs.

I can sense the serious side-eye I'm getting from Paul, so as I come to full stop at the next stop sign I turn to see what has him looking at me. "Something wrong?"

"Just frustrated." He mutters before turning his gaze out the passenger side window.

"Tell me about it…" I sigh in response for gunning it the rest of the way to school.

A/N: It's a short chapter, but I promise they'll get longer as I go. Next up is Kim's POV!


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Kim's POV

 _Math textbook? Yes. Homework? Yes. The Outsiders? Yes. Planner? Pencil case? Glasses case? Yes, yes, yes._

Shutting my locker door and glancing around me at the rambunctious kids in the hall I figure it's probably in my best interest if I get to math class early. Of course, that means braving all the idiots making a mess of the halls and pretending they're some parkour prodigy – yup. That's the group I go to school with, not exactly the academically gifted. So I slowly begin making my way down the hall, trying to stay out everyone's way.

"Kim!"

I'd recognize that voice anywhere and as I turn around, a football just barely missing my face as it's thrown to a boy 20 feet down the hall, I see Rowan bouncing towards me.

"Hey," I begin with a smile on my face, turning to continue my walk to math class as she joins me.

"Hey yourself!"

"How was your night?"

"Pretty uneventful. Mom and dad are fighting again so we had pizza for dinner; but I did manage to finish all of our calculus homework and get a jump start on the physics project that's due soon." Rowan's home life is a bit of a mystery. Her parents are still together – like many couples on the reservation – but they seem to always be fighting. To their credit though, they've stuck together and always put Rowan and her little sister Anna first. "Mom wanted me to invite you over for dinner tonight – I know your mom's out of town again, you should come over!"

"I'm not sure," I start as we get to class and take our seats. "I kinda like having the house to myself."

My mom's out of town for the next two nights; my grams is pretty sick so she headed up to the Makah reservation to help take care of her. When she left this morning she explained that she'd be home tomorrow night as long as grams was showing signs of improvement; otherwise I'm supposed to join her for the weekend up at grams house. Since it's just me and mom, I'm used to spending some time alone at home… And there's something about it that I love. Mom always worries that I'm a loner; and I guess maybe she's not too far off. I am shy and I'm certainly not one of the kids that's always going to parties or hanging out with friends. But, as I'm always reminding her, enjoying time alone isn't such a bad thing. I'm at the top of my class at school, taking the most advanced classes I can as a junior – which means that I'm often working with senior students - and I have a small but tight group of friends who are always there for me. Honestly, there's not much more I could ask for… Except maybe for _him_ to nice me.

Rowan nodded in understanding, "I get it. I love when my parents take Anna out and I have the house to myself. Enjoy your night, but let me know if you want company."

"Definitely." I smile back.

As the bell rings Mrs. Maggio, our old, frail, lunatic of a math teacher stands up and heads to the front of the room, "Homework out!" she calls as she begins taking attendance and checking our work for completion. Since this is an upper level calculus class she's able to make quick work of checking everything; the kids in this class are some of the best and brightest our small reservation school has to offer. But while she's checking the work I can't help but zone in on the whispered conversation in front of Rowan and me.

"I only saw the back of them, but they've really grown…"

"What do you mean?"

"Like… they're huge! At least 6 inches taller – at least – and they've got these muscles…"

Rowan shot me a look before leaning forward and tapping one of the senior girls, Ally, on the shoulder. "Who're you talking about?" Rowan asked.

I leaned forward interested in the answer and thrilled that Rowan had asked; it would've taken me at least twenty minutes to work up the courage.

Ally turned in her chair, as did her partner Lane, "Paul Lahote and Jared Cameron came back to school today."

A lump was slowly forming in my throat, my heartbeat quickened. _He was back? Today?_

It's been about two months since I've seen either Jared or Paul. Paul and I have our art class together, but Jared sits next to me in our English elective: Native American Legends. Not that he would know that… or me. He's a year older but I've known him for most of my life. He used to live down the street from my mom and me, but he moved about 10 years ago to a nicer part of the rez. He's popular, a jock, and I'm not anywhere on his radar. Of course, I've had a crush on him for the past few years (ever since he punched this kid Liam in the face, after Liam accidentally opened his locker right into my face), but I've never managed to talk to him.

"And they really look that different?" Rowan wondered as she leaned forward, clearly intrigued by the gossip.

"Yes," Ally stressed. "They look like grown men! Almost like they're in their twenties and not just seniors. I didn't get a chance to talk to them, but it seems like the big rumor at the moment is that they're on steroids."

"Seriously?" Rowan breathed out.

"Mhmm," Lane murmured, "it's all been so strange. They've only been talking to each other since they got back into the building. Some of their old friends are pissed; they haven't seen – or even heard – from either of them since they left."

"Attention up front ladies!" Mrs. Maggio called out. Blushing profusely at being caught gossiping I take my notebook out and begin copying down today's lesson; notes are one of my favorite things to do while I'm at school. I'm sure that might sound lame, but it's the truth. When you're as painfully shy as I am, it's nice to just work independently and listen to someone else explain away. My notes were coming along like they always do, but my mind kept wandering to the conversation with Lane and Ally; _Jared's back. And he's different? What does that even mean?_

 _A/N: Well, two chapters down! Thoughts so far? I'd love some reviews!_


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

Kim's POV

Calculus, one of my favorite classes, seemed to stretch on forever. When the bell rang signaling the end of class it was like music to my ears… That's when the knot of anxiety, a familiar daily staple of my life, began to sink in. My next class was across the building – English Elective: Native American Legends. _With him_. I felt the beginning of small tremors in my hands, the usual signal that my nerves were beginning to sink in, digging their nasty teeth into me, causing me to become nothing but a bundle of nerves. Clenching and unclenching my fists I begin to pack up my belongings, doing my best to make sure that my bag stays organized.

A soft hand touches my shoulder gently, "You alright Kim?"

It's Rowan, of course. Most of my classmates realize that I'm painstakingly shy, but Rowan knows just how riddled with anxiety I can become.

"Yea," nodding my head as I stand up, "I think I just might need to stop off at the vending machine so I can get some water…"

Rowan's wide eyes show me that she understands just how quickly this anxiety attack has come on. Steering me out of the classroom and shouting a quick "catch ya later" to Ally and Lane, she swiftly directs me to the nearest group of vending machines. With trembling hands I manage to take out a dollar and get the water that I need before quickly gulping down half of the bottle. The cold water feels good sliding down my throat, and my face starts to feel cooler.

"Feeling better?"

I just nod my head as I continue to chug the water. The halls are loud and bustling, but some of the anxiousness is slowly ebbing away. Not entirely, but some.

"Ready to get to Legends?" Rowan continues on, eyeing me up and down as if she's worried I might just need to take a load off and sit down.

"Sure." Taking deep breathes we make our way across the building before meeting Dakota outside of class. All the way I can't take my mind off of the single most important fact that's registered with my brain today: _Jared is back_. He's going to be in class. He's going to be sitting right next to me… Of course, with that on my mind my heart doesn't slow its rapid beating; my head pounds with nerves, my stomach keeps knotting in on itself, and my palms begin to sweat. _I've never even talked to him, how does he have such an effect on me?_

As we come upon our classroom I catch Dakota's worried glance as he picks his book bag off the ground and throws it over his shoulder. "Alright Kimmy?" Just that phrase alone tells me that Dakota realizes what's happening, the nerves that are taking over my body. We haven't been friends long, but he knows me very well – I suspect it's because he's such an excellent observer.

"It's not so bad right now. I'm feeling better."

Dakota is kind of like a brother to Rowan and myself; very protective. He fits right in with us though since he's also a massive nerd and has a secret affinity for period pieces, including Downton Abbey (although I'm not sure he'd ever admit that to anyone other than us). I'll admit it though, he's one of those good looking nerds that all the nerdy girls fall in love with. Even Rowan has had a crush on him before.

"Good!" Guiding me by the small of my back he pushes me through the classroom door. "There's still a few minutes before the bell so I need you both to quiz me for the test."

"Oh no." Flipping her long dark hair over her shoulder Rowan stood by the door emphatically shaking her head. "In no way shape or form is it our fault that you haven't studied enough. I studied all week for this test. I'm prepared. You and I both know Kim's prepared. You're on your own Dakota!" Laughing as she said this several people turned to watch Rowan flounce to her seat in the back before throwing her feet up on the desk and lounging with her hands behind her head for dramatic effect.

I couldn't help but genuinely smile, finally feeling my heartbeat begin to slow. That's Rowan… A dramatic genius who loves all eyes on her – how we became friends I'll never know.

Dakota on the other hand whipped around, clearly trying to give me his best puppy dog eyes. He knows me too well, I'm a sucker for helping.

Nodding slightly and speaking quietly, "Oh, alright. Just let me get my index cards out."

Pumping his fist victoriously Dakota dropped into his seat in front of me before turning around so I could quiz him. Our review time was brief though since Mr. Navi wastes no time. Ever.

"Study materials away please! Face forward and have a pencil out for your exam – it's scantron, so no pens allowed. If you use a pen, I am not re-grading it." Slowly, but with purpose, Mr. Navi began making his way down the rows of desks distributing the scantron so we could fill it out. A high pitched creak came from the front of the room and, I swear, every single person's head shot up to look at the late comer, walking through the door. In hindsight, it was probably because we all knew who it was. _Jared_.

"Holy… shit." Rowan sighed from a few seats away.

Even Dakota did a double take; and who could blame him? This was not the Jared I remembered from a couple months ago. Nope, this was a man. Gone were the gangly limbs, long black hair, and too cool for school smirk that had seemed permanently attached to his face. Instead there stood a man filling the door frame; the boyish dimples were still present but the rest of Jared had seemingly morphed into a grown man. Muscles bulged from under his black t-shirt, his jawline had become more defined and chiseled. His long, flowing hair had been cut dramatically shorter – almost a buzz – and his face, usually so full of laughter, seemed focused and resigned.

There was a long pause before Mr. Navi was even able to recognize Jared; eventually he managed to stutter out the name, although it came out as more of a question than anything else.

"Mr... Jared?"

"Yup." Was the simple reply.

A quick look around the room and I saw everyone keeping a watchful eye on our returned classmate. Thinking back to Ally and Lane's earlier discussion, I could see why people were quick to think that steroids must've been involved in this insane growth spurt. It's hard to believe anyone could transform their body into such a temple in only 8 weeks.

"Welcome back…" Mr. Navi seemed at a loss for words. "You can go ahead and take your seat; everyone else has a test today and there's definitely work floating around somewhere with your name on it, for you to start making up."

"Absolutely, sir." Eyes averted to the ground Jared began to head towards his desk in the second row from the back. The desk that had been vacant for the past two months. The desk next to me.

My body was quickly going into overdrive; Jared was moving so quickly I barely had any time at all to compose myself. I leaned over, away from his seat, and peered into my bag looking for an eraser cap… Not that I needed one. My pencil had a perfectly good eraser attached to it, but I needed to do something to put some distance between me and this… God.

A scantron glided onto my desk as Mr. Navi passed by and began explaining the format of the test. As the test packets began making their way down the rows, Dakota quickly turned back to me and shot me a reassuring smile with a whispered "Good luck!"

Nodding back quickly and wishing the same, I did my best to keep my eyes glued to my papers. I was worried that if I glanced at Jared there'd be no stopping me. I'd be staring at him for the rest of class, probably with drool pouring down my face as my eyes ravaged his muscular body. Rolling my shoulders and wrists quickly (I'd read before that this can help relieve tension) I zoned in on my test.

Whether moments had gone by or minutes, or twenty minutes, I'm not sure. But at some point Mr. Navi had made an appearance at Jared's desk and explained some of the work he needed Jared to start. Once he'd left to head back to the front of the class to monitor testing I felt my elbow get a small nudge. _No freaking way. He wouldn't try to talk to me. He doesn't even know me._ Blinking twice and reminding myself that I'd studied hard for this test I zoned back in on the question… Until I felt the nudge again partnered with a small whispered, "Hey?"

 _Holy hell. He was talking to me? Me?_

My heart began to thump harder in my chest, a slight knot forming in the pit of my stomach. "Yes?" I whispered back, not daring to look up from my test – no way was I about to let him see me blush like this. How mortifying would that be?

"I can't find a pen or pencil… Can I borrow one?" He muttered lowly.

If this had been one of my dreams about Jared, I know for sure that I would've woken up just now. I dream about him more than I should, but I almost never dream about him talking to me; it's usually just steamy looks.

"Of course," was my whispered reply as I bent back down into my bag looking for the nicest pencil I had – after all, if he used it I could consider it a sacred relic, right? _Be friendly, smile at him, look at him when you hand him the pencil._ My internal monologue knew me well; oftentimes I was so shy that I had trouble talking directly to people who weren't my close friends, family, or nice teachers. _You've waited for this moment for years, just smile._

Righting myself and quickly brushing my hair back from my face, I turned my upper body towards him before I could think about it twice. Lifting up the pencil and trying to place a pleasant (read: not crazy) smile on my face, I lifted my eyes up to meet his and… _Wow_. He is much more handsome up close. Long lashes framed his beautiful brown eyes and just a few freckles were scattered across his nose. It took me a moment to realize that his eyes had begun dilating at a rapid rate – unusual in the sense that I'd never seen that happen before up close. Quickly realizing that I must be staring at him like a total dork, and remembering that I should be taking a test, I thrust the pencil into his hand receiving a sharp static shock. My eyes widened in shock and I saw a smile slowly creep across his features. Quickly I swiveled back to face forward in my seat, bent my head over my desk, let my long hair cover my face, and tried my hardest to refocus – or at the very least not stare at Jared's beautiful face.

It took all the strength in me not to look back over at Jared. I could feel his gaze burning a hole into the side of my head – he had seemingly frozen looking over at me. My heart started pounding like a drum being beaten at a tribal meeting, the knot in my stomach seemed to increase in size, and that's when I felt it. A hand. An incredibly large, warm hand on my shoulder blade before the whispered question, "Hey, are you feeling okay?"

 _Oh. My. God. I thought I was playing my nerves off pretty coolly, but was he noticing how weird I am?_

After that, my throat seemed to close up – how could I respond? He must think I'm such a freak for looking away from him so quickly; I'll bet it looked like I was freaking out. _God, why do you have to be so cruel?_

Doing the only thing I could think of I nodded quickly, never looking up, and deliberately focused on my test for the rest of the class period, trying to run the clock down to when Jared would get up and leave, and I could finally breathe again.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter Four

Jared's POV

 _Don't freak out. Don't freak out. Don't freak out._

Okay… I'm freaking out.

"Dude?" A whisper comes from the desk ahead of me, but I don't avert my eyes off of the beautiful girl sitting next to me. _Where did she come from?_

"Jared?" The voice tries to get my attention again and my inner wolf is beginning to rustle with impatience _; who is this idiot trying to talk to me? Can't he see I'm busy?_

A dark, tan hand reaches out and taps its fingers across my desk. Glancing up, my eyes flashing dangerously, I make eye contact with none other than Dakota – a pain in the ass, full-fledged nerd, who needs to back the fuck off so I can figure out what this girls name is, as of just a few minutes ago that's the only thing that matters to me. She'd leaned over to get a pencil, turned around and unknowingly changed _everything_. Her eyes had sparkled and that sexy blush had lit up her whole face, before she went back to her test.

"Stop." He whispers back at me, his eyes quickly shooting up to the front of the classroom searching for our teacher to make sure he isn't going to be caught talking during a test. Like I said: Nerd.

Quirking my eyebrow at him, not understanding what he means, I shrug my shoulders and try to brush him off. Leaning forward in my seat I search out the papers on this her desk – she must've written her name on something, right?

And that's when I see it, the scantron emblazoned with her name: Kimberly Connweller. The name is familiar but I'm not sure I've ever spoken to her before. I try to go back in my mind to before the change; I'd been sitting next to Kimberly for months – Mr. Navi never moved our seats since they were assigned on the first day of school. Random, vague facts come to mind: She does well on everything and she's friends with Dakota and that girl in the back… Rowan?

The screeching of a chair grinding against the dirty laminate flooring pierces my ears; my senses have increased tenfold since the change. Sam warned me to take it easy today; I'll bet he didn't expect this to happen. I sure as hell didn't.

A folded piece of paper lands on my desk as Dakota scoots by and struts up to the front of the room to deliver his testing materials to Mr. Navi. Quickly looking away from Kim, I check out the folded paper Dakota dropped onto my desk; the idiot wrote "OPEN ME" in capital letters. Rolling my eyes I can't help but quickly turn away from Kim and open the note – what does this dork want from me? Steroids? I've heard that's the big rumor floating around school today.

" _Stop looking at her like that. She's shy. You're making her uncomfortable."_

Son of a bitch! Dakota catches my eye as he's walking back to his seat; he must be right. I don't even remember speaking to Kimberly before and now I'm probably freaking her out with the never-ending stare down. I give Dakota a curt nod – I don't know how well he knows Kimberly and my wolf is sensing competition, but I'm glad he stopped me from making her uncomfortable. That's the last thing I would ever want.

Closing my eyes, and sitting back in my seat, I inhale deeply and smile. This is it. This is imprinting. My mind is a total wreck but I feel nothing short of complete. She's gorgeous – even if I only saw her face for a few seconds – with long dark hair, almost black, and streaks of chestnut brown throughout. It's not the standard straight hair typical of girls on the rez either; it's bouncy with some soft curls that travel down her shoulders and back. Her eyes were warm and inviting; a dark green with flecks of brownish gold scattered throughout. Her cheeks had lit up like a Christmas tree when we'd made eye contact; so she must be prone to blushing? _How fucking adorable is that?_

For the next couple minutes I do my best to not creep her out by staring at her relentlessly, and I do a decent job. She must be able to sense that I'm not outright staring at her anymore, at least. Her shoulders seem to have relaxed a bit and based on her movements I can tell that she's reviewing her test… But she never looks up. She doesn't stand up. For some reason she just keeps looking over her test.

A quick glance at the clock shows that there's only a few minutes till the end of class – _is she trying to avoid me by taking up the entire class time?_

Leaning back in my desk, my absentee work forgotten, I just watch her from slightly out of view. She might be able to sense my eyes but she can't tell from where she's sitting that I'm watching her. I just want to get a read on her; already, with barely a word spoken between us, I feel this deep pitted desire to know her, to love her, to protect her, and to be with her. Always. I don't even need to confer with Sam to know this is imprinting; over the past two months I've been in his mind enough to recognize this feeling. This desire. This urge to keep her close and safe, warm and happy. I never would've thought I would feel such an instantaneous connection to someone; fall in love so quickly. Feelings that would've taken a normal human months to develop took me a second, maybe even less.

Alarm bells ring in my head as Kimberly finally sits back in her seat and pushes her hair back out of her face. Collecting her papers she stands gracefully from her desk and walks to the front of the room, prepared to turn in her work for – what I'm sure will be – no less than a perfect grade. Upon her return trip I can't manage to catch her eyes; they're seemingly glued to the floor as she makes her way through the minefield of book bags and purses that litter the floor, haphazardly dumped to the ground. _I swear, if she trips over any of those, I'll rip the owners throat out._ But she doesn't, and I'm able to breathe again. I hadn't realized I'd been holding my breath while she was gone.

Dakota offers her a fist bump as she passes before she gracefully, with the smoothness of a dancer, takes her place beside me. The thought of her having a place beside me feels right, the wolf inside me growls with satisfaction. Of course I can't help but notice how she smooths down the long shirt she's wearing as she sits – it's long and flowing to cover her plain black leggings – and as she smooths it she runs her hands from the small of her back over her ass before sitting. Of course, I know the action isn't for my benefit, it's probably to make sure the shirt doesn't ride up or something, but I can't help but grin. My imprint is smart and so fucking gorgeous; my chest swells with pride and I can't do a damn things to wipe the smile off my face.

I take a deep breath and lean towards her, ready to start some sort of conversation… Admittedly I have no clue where to begin – Sam warned Paul and I weeks ago, when he let us revisit his imprinting experience with Emily, to not come on too strong if we found our imprint. His experience had some horrific consequences including a bloodied and battered Emily; I couldn't even begin to imagine Kimberly going through something like that. I clenched my hands as they started to vibrate with worry and anger at even the thought of hurting her and did my best to clear my mind.

As the thoughts and anger began to fade away I leaned closer to the beauty beside me, she was riffling through her shoulder bag looking for something intently. Just as I began to open my mouth the fucking bell rang; springing like a coiled spring from her seat she quickly jumped up, throwing her shoulder bag over her arm and rushing out. Gone like wind.

Moving quickly, hell bent on catching up with her, I sprang up as well grabbing the few books I'd brought and the paperwork I'd been given before doing my best to follow – at human speed – quickly after her.

"Jared, man, what the hell was that shit you were pulling?" Dakota said lowly, reaching out to grab my elbow.

Tugging out of his grasp quickly I whipped around to face him, snarling "Get the fuck off of me."

"Boys!" called Mr. Navi from the front of class; he'd heard our language and was stalking towards us, probably ready to dump a lunch detention in our fucking laps.

"It's nothing sir!" shouted Dakota as he grabbed me, again, by the elbow and began tugging me out of the room. _Stupid human boy._ I could've snapped his fingers off one by one but I let him lead me out. Sam had been specific in his orders this morning: Keep up the pretenses. Pretend you're just like the rest of them.

Once we'd reached the hallway, packed with smelly teenagers, with Kimberly nowhere in sight I forcibly removed Dakota's hand from my elbow. Probably a bit rougher than necessary, but he needs to learn his place and as far as I'm concerned: the sooner the better.

"What was that about in there?" he asked loudly, moving to stand with his arms across his chest, as he drew himself up to his full height.

"Are you dating her?"

"Who? Kim?" he wondered aloud, taking a small step back as I drew myself up to my full height of 6' 5", puffing out my chest and crossing my arms in front of myself, making sure my new muscles bulged against the shirt I was wearing. _If he wanted to play big man on campus he had no idea who he was messing with._ I nodded my head curtly, I didn't want to waste my time talking to this idiot but I had a nagging suspicion that I needed to watch this boy.

"No!" He said emphatically, "But you can't do that kind of stuff with Kim…" he trailed off. _Kim? Is that what she goes by?_


	5. Chapter 5

A/N: Thanks for all the reviews/follows/favs for this story! I'm just so happy that some people are actually reading it - I feel so loved! I'll have Chapter 6 posted sometime this week (expect Wednesday-Friday). My student's final grades are due next Monday so I'm a bit overwhelmed with work... Writing this has been excellent stress relief though!

Chapter Five

Kim's POV

Unlocking the front door of the house after school I breathed a sigh of relief. _Was the universe messing with me today? Seriously, what was happening?_ Locking the door behind me, I pulled my rain coat off and left my umbrella by the front door before heading to the kitchen to scrounge up dinner.

After Legends class I'd been hiding out and dodging none other than Jared Cameron all day long; as if it hadn't been weird enough that he'd been staring at in me in class, he'd then been searching me out and asking about me all day long. _What in the world was that about?_ I wound up eating my lunch in the library just to avoid the attention; Rowan had joined me along with our friend Lily. Word around school, from everyone who decided to make me their business today, was that Jared was trying to figure out my class schedule, where I live, and basically anything about me that he could dig up.

If this had been a dream, I would've swooned over all the attention. I mean, how often is it that the boy you've been desperately crushing on for the past few years finally acknowledges your presence and takes some sort of interest in you? While I'm not sure what the statistics are on an occurrence like that, I bet they're not in the favor of love struck girls.

Luck seemed to be favoring me today though… First, news that Jared had finally returned to school – admittedly looking like some sort of Native American God, not that I'd complain. Second, I knew I'd aced that test in Legends class. Third, Jared actually spoke to me! And more importantly he was interested in me! Fourth, mom had left money on the counter for me to order in. All that was adding up to a bubble bath and Netflix kind of night… With some light reading and standard preparation for tomorrow's vocabulary and current event quizzes, because there is no excuse for a bad grade as far as I'm concerned.

A light flickering on the answering machine caught my attention, so I listened to the message while sifting through our drawer full of take-out menus.

"Hey honey! Hope school went well today – I'm sure you did amazing on your test; I can't imagine after all that studying that you'd do anything less than well…" I couldn't help but smile, my mom must've called when she got to grams. "Just got to grams house; the weather isn't so good here so I'd expect some storms if I were you tonight. I left some money on the counter for you – enough to cover dinner tonight and tomorrow night if I'm not home by then. There should be enough money for you to take a cab to gram's house Saturday morning if I'm not home by then," there was some sort of muffled noise in the background before, "Oops! Mom's calling me – good luck on your quiz and report tomorrow! Love you baby girl!"

I couldn't stop the smile spreading across my face even if I'd tried. My mom and I were really close; I couldn't imagine my life without her. She'd gotten pregnant when she was 17 visiting the Quileute Reservation with her cousins – my dad was from this reservation, mom from the Makah reservation a bit north of here – and the rest was history. They met, fell in love, got pregnant, married young, and did the best they could to make ends-meat. And then my father felt a swell of patriotism, nationalism, whatever you want to call it, and signed up to fight in the Gulf War as a soldier. He didn't come home. I was just about a year old when he was killed in action; a few years ago mom confided in me that the only way she got through that time was focusing on me. She's the only parent I remember and I think it's safe to say that we're closer than most moms and daughters. Mom works at the crappy grocery store here in La Push and she's determined to get me into a great college and get me out of this small town, which is why I can seem so grade oriented. My grades are for me and my mom.

2 hours later

With the pizza on the way, I changed into my comfiest leggings (the ones lined with fleece), wool socks, and my La Push High School sweatshirt. I'd spent the past two hours studying and practicing my current event speech for World History Class – that's the thing about functioning with anxiety, you learn to cope with what you can… For me, practicing things like public speaking were a necessity.

Flicking through the Netflix options and trying to decide if I wanted to watch a TV show or movie, I was startled out of my train of thought by the sound of the doorbell. Since our house is so small it was hardly a walk from the family room to the front door; grabbing the money for the pizza on my way I swung the front door open. And it wasn't the pizza guy. Nope, it was Jared – looks like a beautiful God now that he's all sexy and muscular – Cameron standing in my doorway with a 100 megawatt smile on his face. Immediately the air rushed out of my lungs and my cheeks flamed up; mouth gaping wide open, I probably gave off the appearance of a startled deer… Or an idiot.

"Hey Kim!" Jared began as he bounced back and forth on the balls of his feet, hands clasped behind his back.

"Uh… hey Jared…" Leaning forward and glancing around the door frame I check for any more surprise visitors. _What the heck is going on today?_

There was an awkward pause. I was overwhelmingly aware that I should follow up my greeting with a question, such as 'how are you' or 'what are you doing here'. At the moment though words seemed to escape me; my palms were beginning to sweat.

"So…" Jared started, looking directly into my eyes; it was disconcerting. "I was in the area and just thought I'd stop by! Ya know, to see how you're doing…"

 _What was I supposed to even say to that?_

"Uh, oh… Well, uh… Thanks?" _Great job, Kim. Really excellent answer. A+ quality conversation._

The pair of us stood there awkwardly for a beat – Jared outside looking in, me looking at him, trying not to gawk at his chiseled jaw and muscular arms.

I think Jared may have caught my lingering gaze on his muscles; my blush deepened and a slow smirk spread across Jared's face.

"So, what're you up to tonight?" Jared asked, that smirk still firmly in place across his lips. His gaze swept up and away from my eyes looking into the foyer. "You home alone tonight?"

"Oh… um, yea. My mom's in Makah…" Swallowing the growing lump in my throat and taking a deep breath I continued, trying hard as anything not to embarrass myself in front of Jared. "So, yea… Tonight's just a pizza and movie night for me…"

If I thought Jared had been smiling before, it was nothing compared to the grin lighting up his face now.

"Well then, how about I come in? We can hang out for a while, what're you watching?"

It was like time stopped… _He was inviting himself in? Is that normal?_

"Well, uh… I don't know…" That was the best I could come up with.

"I'm not trying to intrude!" Jared said emphatically as he held his hands up in mock surrender, "I just thought maybe we could hang out."

"Why?" I was proud, I hadn't stalled at all with that one.

I was trying not to read into how odd this whole ordeal was; after today I wasn't sure what to expect. But looking up into Jared's face I could've sworn that he looked calm… Almost like he'd anticipated that question – which I was positive would've thrown him for a loop.

"Kim Conweller, I think we'd get along if we got to know each other," seeing my quirked eyebrow at that statement he quickly continued, "and I don't know how else to explain it other than I have a really good instinct when it comes to these things. My gut is telling me that we should get to know one another, and I'm going to make sure it happens."

The fates must've been listening in because at that moment the pizza guy showed up just as Jared finished speaking. Peering around his large frame and watching the delivery boy jump out of the car before leaning back in to grab the pizza from the back seat I quietly responded to Jared, "Well, I hope you like pepperoni…" before stepping off the porch to meet the delivery boy on the sidewalk. This whole day was absolutely absurd; I mean… What are the odds of this happening? _Jared finally noticed me… Then he takes some sort of deep rooted interest in me and starts pestering everyone at school with questions about me… And the weirdest part: He showed up at my house and invited himself in to get to know me. What does that even mean? Is this a prank? Am I some easy target?_

Turning back up to the house with the pizza in hand, Jared quickly took the box from me with a muttered, "Here, let me carry that for you." Once again, the blush rose up in my cheeks – apparently chivalry wasn't dead when it came to Jared Cameron.

I busied myself once I was in the house with getting plates and utensils, along with two glasses of water before meeting Jared in the family room (where I'd left him with the pizza). I took longer than necessary just so I could try to calm my nerves. By the time I'd actually entered the room he was standing with his back to me, peering at the photos my mom had lining the wall in frames. There was the one of my parent's wedding day, as well as the day they'd brought me home from the hospital… The rest were of me, my mom, family, and friends. There was a picture of me beaming, proudly holding up the first tooth I'd ever lost; another of me accepting the Principals List Award for Outstanding Excellence; Rowan, Lily, and I all dressed up and ready for our 8th grade Snow Ball Dance; and more including pictures from family vacations with mom, grams, and me. Standing quietly by the door way, nervous to enter since I'd actually have to talk to Jared once I did, I just enjoyed the view…

But, as is the case with all love struck girls, I was caught. Totally and completely caught checking him out. Coughing quickly to try to cover up my apparent eye assault I moved into the room.

"So, here's a plate and some water… We don't have any soda or I would've offered you something else…" I mumbled, trailing off towards the end as I laid everything neatly on the coffee table. I had no idea what to say, or how to act. This whole situation was just so random and outlandish; I was uncomfortable, but I also felt electrified. _Jared was here – in my house – saying that he wanted to get to know me._

Turning around, Jared had a comfortable smile plastered on his face. It seemed genuine and he seemed relaxed; his grin was enough to make my insides turn to Jello.

"That's great! Thanks Kim!" Sitting down on the sofa he looked up at me expectantly. What was he waiting for? I realized foolishly, he's probably waiting for me to sit down too… But, where? Glancing around our small family room I realized the only places to sit were on the sofa – next to Jared – or across the room on an old wicker rocker. "Kim," he continued quietly, "I won't bite. Please, sit here with me."

Once again, for what felt like the millionth time today, my face came alive with heat. I could feel the blush all the way up to my scalp line. How embarrassing could this get? Was he going to think I didn't want to be near him?

"Well… uh. Yea, okay." Quickly sitting down before I could embarrass myself further I busied myself with grabbing a slice of pizza and turning on the TV to start up Netflix.

There was a few minutes of awkward silence where I didn't know what to say, so I kept quiet, and Jared just chomped away happily.

"Thanks so much for letting me come in to hang out, Kim. You do prefer Kim, right?"

I nodded quickly, my mouth full of pizza.

"That's what I figured." He leaned in for what I counted as a third slice, "So where's your family?"

The pessimist inside me nervously began to fret; was he asking about my family so he'd know how much time he has to beat, rape, and kill me before they got home? I knew this was too good to be true.

"I just ask," he began – probably after seeing my hesitation – "because I noticed the photos. It looks like you live with your mom and grandmother?"

Thank God, a topic I could talk about… "Actually," I began slowly, trying to gain some confidence in my voice so that it didn't waver with nerves every time I spoke a word, "it's just me and my mom. My gramma lives up on the Makah Rez… That's where my mom is for the next few days. Grams isn't feeling well so mom went to help out."

"Just leaving you here?" Jared wondered aloud, a flicker in his eye that I caught seemed to show he was startled and (maybe I'm reading too much into this) a bit concerned.

"Mhmm." Catching his gaze, which still looked unsettled I continued; I felt like I had to defend my mom. "It's just for today and tomorrow. Saturday, if she's still not back, I'll take a taxi up to the Makah Rez to stay with them for the weekend… I just didn't want to miss school, otherwise she would've taken me with her."

Nodding his head slowly and running a hand through his gorgeous new haircut he turned back, "That's good. You'll let me know if you want company while she's away, right?"

This was getting ridiculous. "Huh?" Was all I could seem to muster up in response.

"If you get lonely, or even nervous, staying here by yourself just let me know. I'll swing by and keep you company." Jared's smile, as he finished speaking, highlighted his cheekbones and the boyish glint in his eye.

Slowly working up the courage I knew I had to try to make sense of this situation. The whole day was weird enough to have been a dream; I wouldn't have been surprised in the slightest if I was suddenly woken up and realized that the day's events had never actually transpired. And if this was a dream, what I was about to say wouldn't sound all that stupid… or mildly offensive. Right?

"Jared?" I began, noticing that when I referred to him he turned his whole body towards me, leaving the fourth slice of pizza he'd begun devouring unattended on the plate. That boy could seriously inhale his food. "What's going on?"

His brows knotted together in a frown, "What do you mean?"

"I mean…" I stumbled over my words usually, but I wanted these words to be crystal clear, "this is really weird. You don't talk to me for years and suddenly, today, you want to get to know me? Is this some joke? Are you pranking me? Because if that's the case I just want you to know that,"

"ABSOLUTLEY NOT." He cut me off so quickly and with such a loud voice that I jumped back and leaned away from him. Living with just my mom, I wasn't used to how deep and loud a man's voice could become. It was startling and a little nerve-wracking. I worried I'd offended him, he seemed suddenly overwhelmed and worried. "That's not the case. I would never – never – do that to you. I meant what I said earlier, I have a good instinct, and today my gut just told me that I had get to know you better." Seeing my bewildered expression he continued on softly, "I'm sure this seems crazy… I… I can't even deny that. But you should know that I would never do anything to hurt you… or embarrass you."

"O-kay." I drawled out. "But, I swear Jared, if I find out this is some sort of elaborate prank,"

He quickly cut me off again, "Which it's not!"

"But," I said, stronger this time, "if it is, I won't be forgiving."

"Understood, loud and clear." He beamed.

As I began collecting the dirty napkins, swiping Jared's hand out of the way as he went to take them from me I worked up all my courage to continue, "I hope you know Jared, being shy doesn't make someone a doormat."

"And I would never assume it does." He was collecting the dirty plates and stacking the glasses on top, standing to follow me to the kitchen.

Cleaning up was a silent affair; I half expected Jared to thank me for dinner and leave, but I was surprised yet again. After we'd loaded the dishwasher we wound up back in front of the TV flicking through different movies on Netflix. I was hoping Jared would point out a movie he wanted to watch since I was too nervous to make a suggestion he wouldn't like. The silence seemed to stretch on which is why his voice, speaking softly and surprisingly close to my ear, caught me off guard.

"How about, we just put on a random show and talk instead?"

 _Um…. What?_ The anxiety in me began to bubble up. _Talk? He wanted to talk? About what?_

Jared must have a pretty good read on me – maybe my facial expressions give me away – but he could definitely sense my panic. His hand reached out and gently touched my shoulder; his hand felt like an oven. It was big and warm and… comforting? Without meaning to I leaned into his touch. I didn't want to pull away and that realization shocked me. A strange sensation swept over me; a sense of calm was beginning to spread. _What the hell? His touch does this to me?_

"How about a game of 20 questions?" He asked, his palm still pressed against my shoulder.

"Well… I guess? I mean if you want…"

"Great!" Turning so that his body was facing me once again, he finally took his palm away and used his hand to stroke his chin, pretending to contemplate his first question. "What's your favorite movie?"

"Umm…" _Was there a right answer to this question? One that would make me seem cool_? "I'm not sure? I do like the Marvel superhero franchise though…"

"No way!"

"Yup," I nodded happily – I hadn't even lied! "What about you?"

"I like them too – especially Captain America and Iron Man! What do you like to do after school?"

I paused, was it lame to say something like read? "Usually I just read or go for a walk… I guess that's not too exciting."

"Nah, it's great," Jared said enthusiastically, "I'm not much of a reader myself, but maybe you could recommend something?" I nodded, already worrying that I'd choose something he didn't like, or thought was lame or nerdy. "And I'm really into nature – walking, running, cliff diving. Anything outdoors!"

"I think that's a bit too extreme for my tastes – but the cliff diving is always fun to watch down at the beach." _Good job Kim, you just contributed to a conversation without having required a question to do so_.

"Maybe you could come watch me some time?" His smile was growing by the second. "Some of my friends and I go on the weekend – you know Paul, right?"

"Yea, we have our art class together. We don't talk much though…"

"Well, I'm sure that'll change soon enough – he's really great… Gets a bad rep for having a bad attitude sometimes, but he's not so bad once you get to know him."

I just sat back; I've almost never spoken to Paul – other than to ask him to pass me something and vice versa – so I had no idea how to respond to that. To be honest, my mind was still focusing on the prospect of going to First Beach to watch Jared cliff dive. Was he serious?

"Umm… What's your favorite subject?" I decided to ask; I was hoping he'd say something I could actually comment on… So really, anything besides gym would've been a great answer.

"Definitely our Legends class." That smirk was back, winding its way across his lips, reminding me of someone who had a secret.

"Really?" I was surprised. "You used to just sleep through class…"

A guttural laugh shot out of Jared like cannon fire. "Yea, I guess you could say that… But I'm very interested now – what about you? Do you like the class?"

I nodded emphatically, "I like almost anything school related." I grinned.

"Probably because you're so good at school," he smiled, looking oddly proud for someone who barely knows me.

"I think that helps!" And suddenly, I was laughing and he was too. And it was beautiful in a weird, friendship, love struck way. My eyes were squeezed shut, a few tears from laughter squeezing their way out and when I opened them again I was in awe – Jared's eyes had been on me the whole time.

The rest of the evening passed in pretty much the same way. Talking, laughing, joking, and just generally getting to know one another. I won't lie, I'd felt pretty awkward and uncomfortable for most of the time – afraid to say the wrong thing, and unsure of how to respond to what he was saying. But there's something about Jared that makes him easy enough to warm up to… His smile. Laugh. The laugh lines he gets around his eyes. It was difficult to focus on responding to his questions and not just swoon over how drop dead gorgeous he is. Jared didn't leave until close to 8 o'clock; mom had been right in her voicemail – the storm that had been hitting Makah had traveled a bit down the coastline and his hard around 6:30. Jared had stayed through the worst of the storm, but as 8 o'clock approached and I let out a yawn, he gave me a sweet smile and said it was time he headed out. He seemed really sorry to go but told me he had some business he needed to take care of with his buddies. I could only assume that was Sam Uley and Paul – from the rumors that've been flying around, those are the only two guys he hangs out with anymore. Before he left he made me promise to call if I got lonely and wanted to talk, or if I needed a dinner buddy for tomorrow night, and said he'd see me tomorrow morning.

Walking him to the door was surreal – in my dreams we would've just finished making out on the sofa or my bed while my mom was out; my hair would've been a wreck because he'd have run his fingers through it over and over again. Our clothes would've been rumpled and my lips would've been swollen from all the kissing. And while this was not that, it was just as great. He even leaned down and gave me a wonderfully warm and delicious hug before turning and sauntering out the door. Locking the door behind him, I turned away and tried to decide what was more important: To text Rowan and Lily this strange series of events before my bubble bath, or after?


	6. Chapter 6

A/N: I kind of surprised myself. I hadn't intended to write and post such a short chapter through Jared's POV, but it just sort of popped into my head this morning while I was getting ready for work. **Consider this a bit of a flashback to just before Jared showed up at Kim's house in the last chapter!** Read and enjoy - reviews are always appreciated!

Chapter Six

Jared's POV **(After school, around 4pm: Flashback)**

Today had been a whirlwind – a magnificent, beautiful, heart pounding kind of day. Not even close to what I'd expected when I'd left for school this morning, but I wouldn't change a thing.

Months ago, when I'd first phased I'd been devastated. Gone was my normal life; suddenly it felt like the weight of the world was on my shoulders. Shift into a wolf? Protect the tribe? Kill vampires? I'd just turned 18! My life should've been: Who do I take to prom? What colleges should I apply to? What do you mean if I don't return all those library books I won't get my high school diploma?

Whenever the pack had to go to a meeting of the Elders, it was always the same thing. A bunch of middle aged and old men referring to this newfound ability as a "gift". For the past few months I believed that to be nothing short of bull shit. A gift? I'd been robbed of my senior year, not to mention normalcy… But today… Today put everything into perspective. Turns out I'm the luckiest bastard in the world, because I love Kim and we're meant to be together. The rest of the world has nothing on that.

When I'd walked into class earlier today I'd felt this strange tug; but, I figured it was nerves or something since today was my first day back. But once my eyes locked with Kim's, I was a goner. She was beautiful and smart, and gone way to soon. I'd spent the rest of the school day searching her out; I guess we only had that one class together, and she hadn't shown up to the upperclassmen lunch. A few of the senior girls I'd spoken to knew Kim though. Apparently she was taking upper level classes and was in a few of theirs. I'd known she was smart, but when I heard she was an AP and Honors student I'd felt a swell of pride. _My girl was smart._ Throughout the day, just about everyone I spoke to used the same few words to describe my girl: sweet but shy, smart, and cute to name a few. While I didn't know her all that well yet, I could tell that those identifiers were spot on. I'd learned she lives on the other side of La Push from my family; not the greatest area of town, but also not the sketchiest. Her mom's a manager at the local grocery store and there's no dad in the picture. She takes dance classes in Forks with her friends Rowan and Lily, but also takes Tribal dance lessons here on the rez with Rowan.

After school I quickly jumped in my truck and hauled it to Sam's house. According to Sam, imprinting was a very rare occurrence… Also, bullshit.

"Hey Jared!" Emily had called from the kitchen; whatever she was baking smelled delicious. "How was school today?"

Sam was seated at the kitchen table when I entered, reading a newspaper. But once he caught my eye, sensing that something seemed off, he dropped it to the table and gave me his full attention.

"Uh… Interesting…" I began, trying to find the words to describe the day.

"To say the least," Paul laughed as he stormed in the back door. "Thanks for waiting for me asshole. I had to phase in the forest and run here. Shredded another God damn shirt, my mom's gonna flip her lid."

"What happened?" asked Sam, worry evident on his face.

"Well, uh…"

"Jared fucking imprinted."

It was so quiet you probably could've heard a flea sneeze on Paul's back.

Suddenly, Emily was running at me full force – wrapping her arms around me and telling me how happy she was for me, asking when she could meet the girl, and just crying with happiness. My gaze never left Sam though, and I caught his eyes widen with surprise. Clearly imprinting is turning out to be a more common occurrence than we'd thought.

The next hour was spent recounting details of our first meeting, Paul obnoxiously fake-coughing 'whipped', and reviewing all of the information I'd learned about Kim.

"Remember Jared," Emily advised knowingly, "you have to start slow with all of this. If it's true you've never really spoken to her before today, she's probably confused by the sudden attention." Sam nodded sagely from his seat next to Emily.

"Exactly. Don't spring too much on her at once either…"

"Jesus guys," Paul interrupted, "let's keep it real. Jared, you have to get to know her. All this asking around school shit isn't going to give you an education on Kim Connweller in one day."

"Very blunt, Paul… but not necessarily wrong." Emily agreed.

Sam nodded in agreement, "Yea, you've got it take slow or you'll scare her off."

The hair on the back of my neck stood up at the insinuation that I could ever scare Kim off. I would never do that. _Never_ , I vowed internally.

"Yea, yea… I know… But I was thinking about going to see her tonight?"

Emily's smile lit up the room, "That's wonderful!"

"Uh," Paul chuckled, "don't you think that would freak her out? You've barely spoken… Do you even know where she lives?"

Sam was giving me serious side-eye as Paul talked. "Jared, I know you've gotta be feeling that pull to see her right now," (which was putting it lightly, I was dying to see my imprint). "But think it through. If you're going to overwhelm her, maybe you should just wait till school tomorrow…"

"I disagree!" _Thank God for Emily._ "I think you need to start building that foundation of friendship; you're not going to be able to start a relationship without it…"

"Still wondering," Paul wondered with a smirk, "do you even know where Kim lives?"

All eyes were suddenly on me.

"Not completely…"

Everyone snorted at that. "Meaning?" asked Sam.

"I know she lives on the other side of town… I'm just not sure where exactly…"

"And you're hell bent on going over there tonight?" Sam asked, staring me down from next to Emily.

I nodded vigorously.

"Well," Sam said as he stood from the little table, "let's put a call into Billy Black and see if the council can track down an address for our newest wolf pack member."

As Sam made the call I glanced around the table at my closest friends – I knew I had nerdy grin spread across my face, but it was nice to see that Emily and Paul were smiling right along with me. We had a new pack member and, as far as I was concerned, she was the best one.


	7. Chapter 7

A/N: Sorry for the delay in this chapter! I'm a teacher and the end of the marking period brings a lot of work in terms of grading and after school activities! Here's a short chapter for all you amazing people following this story - the next one should be uploaded in the next day or so! It's quite a bit longer, just need to revise!

Chapter 7

Kim's POV

Thoughts of Jared kept me up all night. They were mostly positive but I still had a nagging fear that maybe his actions were not as kind-hearted or genuine as he made them seem. I mean… who disappears for a few months with mono and comes back a whole new man who just wants to "get to know" you? Again, statistics weren't my strong point, but I was pretty sure they weren't in my favor…

I'd already stayed up later than usual talking to Lily, and then Rowan, about how Jared had popped around out of the blue. Lily, one of my closest friends, couldn't have been happier for me – she's well acquainted with how long I'd been pining of Jared.

" _Kim!" she'd squealed with excitement, "That's so wonderful! I've been telling you – it's only a matter of time until he notices how amazing you are!"_ Lily is usually a ray of sunshine in this otherwise dreary corner of the world. We've been friends for as long as I can remember, and we've always clicked.

Rowan, on the other hand, seemed a bit more reserved… Not that she wasn't happy for me. But Rowan's not always the most trusting.

" _Just be careful Kim, I don't want to see you get hurt."_ Her warning had stayed with me for the rest of the night; I didn't want to be played like a fool and the more I thought about it, the more insistent that nagging suspicion became.

Luckily, I'd managed to snag a few hours of sleep before my alarm went off around 6am. I'd set it a bit earlier than usual because I wanted to leave time to look nice today. My mom always says that you shouldn't dress up for a boy, and all that stuff. She's very "I am woman, hear me roar" if you know what I mean… But I've watched Gossip Girl, and while I might not be dressing up for a prep school on the Upper East Side, you better believe I'm at least finding my nicest sweater and putting on some mascara and lip gloss.

Heating up a Pop Tart and double – then triple – checking that I had all my school books neatly packed away in my bag, I headed out to school. The rainstorm from last night had left the path I take to school pretty drenched; mud made squelching noises beneath my shoes, and I was silently applauding my decision to leave for school a bit earlier than usual. I was walking slower than usual, trying to ensure that I didn't slip, trip, or otherwise end up covered in mud… But I was also trying to breath deeply to slow my pounding heartbeat. It was one thing to lay in bed last night and dream about what could happen today, it was another thing entirely to be on my way to school without any idea of how Jared was going to act. Was yesterday a onetime thing? Did he leave my house realizing how little we had in common? Did he head over to Paul's home afterwards to make fun of me behind my back? Shaking my head quickly I tried my best to banish the negative thoughts from pervading my mind. It didn't work.

By the time I got to school, the prospect of being early was just a figment of my imagination. I needed to hit my locker then get straight to class. Speed walking to my locker and trying to dodge the crazy theatrics in the halls around me, I subtly let my gaze travel through the halls searching for _him_. We'd exchanged numbers last night, and a part of me had been disappointed when I woke up this morning to no text message. I mean… I guess it was ridiculous to hope for it in the first place.

And yet, there he was. Leaning casually against my locker looking like the most gorgeous site my eyes could've found on this gloomy Friday morning. But he wasn't by himself… Rowan was there next to him and so was Paul Lahote. The three seemed like they'd been talking until Jared's head snapped up in my direction and that grin I'd been replaying in my dreams all night long spread slowly across his face.

"Hey girl!" Rowan called as I began to approach.

My heart was pounding in my chest like a drum… _Keep calm, smile. Keep calm and smile._

Easier said than done because Jared was walking towards me, smiling sweetly, and gently taking my shoulder bag from me before carrying it the rest of the way to my locker.

"Good morning," he said lowly. My heart felt like it could burst; _he was at my locker. That must mean something._

But then the anxiety started: my throat felt like it was closing in on me, nerves were suddenly shooting through my body, and my stomach was rolling around like an ocean's waves. I wasn't able to suppress my nerves enough to speak; I still wasn't sure how I'd managed to last night. So instead I settled for a smile (which hopefully didn't come out like a grimace).

Paul seemed to be watching the whole exchange over Rowan's shoulder – his gaze flickering between Jared and me.

 _This was so awkward, was anyone else going to speak?_

Rowan saved the day, or at least this awkward encounter. Like I've mentioned before, she knows me well enough that she has a sixth sense when it comes to my nerves. Turning her body so that she was fully facing me, blocking Paul behind her, she launched into a story about her night – describing in detail the hysterical fight between Anna, her six year old sister, and their father about when Anna would be old enough to date. The verdict? Never.

I laughed and smiled throughout the story but I could feel Jared's lingering gaze as though his eyes were burning holes into the back of my head. I could feel the hairs on the back of my neck rising; _how did he have such an effect on me?_

The warning bell rang and Rowan wiggled her eyebrows at me. What was I supposed to do? This is uncharted territory for me.

Luckily, Paul jumped in clapping Jared on the shoulder and reminding him that they needed to get to their English class. Jared nodded politely, seemingly annoyed at Paul for reminding him they had somewhere to be, before shooting me a smile and saying he'd see me in Legends class. The boys turned and disappeared down the hall.

"Uh, swoon!" Rowan gushed as we made our way to Mrs. Maggio's classroom. "That was adorable Kim! He must've gotten here really early to figure out which locker was yours, so he could wait for you!"

"Weren't you just telling me last night how strange all of this is?"

There was a pause, then "Well, yea. I mean, I'm your friend. I'm going to tell you how I see it – and it's definitely a weird development. But that doesn't mean it wasn't really cute!"

Rolling my eyes I entered Mrs. Maggio's class, pretending to prepare for the day's lesson but really just counting down the minutes until I could see Jared again.


	8. Chapter 8

Chapter 8

Kim's POV

Calculus was uneventful.

Alright, that's not exactly true. My usual routine involves me keeping my head down and trying not to draw attention to myself. Turns out, that was pretty much impossible today. Ever since Jared started asking about me yesterday, I seem to have shot up in terms of my interest level. Seniors in my Advanced Calculus class, who've never talked to me before, were suddenly very interested in everything about me. _How did I know Jared? What classes did I have with Jared? Did Jared ever reach me yesterday? Did I know why Jared and Paul had been out of school for so long? Was I into Jared? Did he ask me out yet?_

I guess I couldn't blame them. I mean… Even I thought his attitude and interest had been a strange turn of events. I guess it just makes sense that everyone else was thinking along those same times. As if I wasn't nervous enough, I'd become an overnight high school wonder.

Legends class… That was a different story.

Jared beat me to class, although I'm not sure why that surprised me – apparently he's everywhere now. His face had been beaming up at me from his usual seat next to mine and without even thinking I smiled right back. My heart had started pounding, but this time it was different. It may sound crazy to say that, but for someone with anxiety I'm very attuned to my body's reactions. The relentless pounding that usually accompanies the blood rushing to my ears wasn't there. My heart was pounding because of his smile. His gorgeous, haunt me in my dreams, call my name out of those sweet lips, smile.

Sliding into my seat next to him and taking out my notebook and a pen for today's notes, I was internally scrambling for something to say. Something sweet? Funny? Maybe witty? Really, just something at all would've been an improvement over class yesterday. I should've known that he'd beat me to it.

"So how was the rest of you night last night?"

I licked my lips quickly, "It was nice… Pretty relaxing."

"Oh yea? What'd you end up doing? Did you ever find a movie to watch?" His eyes were sparkling.

"Oh, no, actually. I just took a nice, long bath and started reading my new book."

Jared let out a sudden, choking cough, and the implication of what I'd just said came rushing at me full force.

 _Did that just happen? Did I actually just tell Jared that after he left my house last night I hopped in a bath tub to sit and read?_ I've read some reports (from my mom's copies of Cosmopolitan that she leavesin the bathroom) that guys think about sex approximately 19 times each day. _Was he thinking about me naked now? Jesus, Kim, way to go_. I tried to face forward to make the blush rushing to my cheeks a tad less noticeable (to Jared – that's really the only person who I was worried about noticing), but I wasn't fast enough. I caught sight of Jared's eyes widening and his Adam's apple bob up and down as he swallowed. _This is mortifying._

"That sounds… really relaxing…" he coughed out. I swiveled my head in Jared's direction – something about the husky tone of his voice made my head turn feel instinctual. I was taken aback when our eyes met; I hadn't realized he'd been staring at me – his eyes looked dark and his gaze seemed possessive.

"It was." I whispered quietly, before turning my attention to the front board.

The day's lesson didn't leave much room for talking to Jared. We took notes for most of the class period before Mr. Navi returned our tests from yesterday to review the correct answers. We did have a few spare minutes at the end of class to relax or talk. Usually, I'd move back a few rows to sit with Rowan, or Dakota would've turned around to try to make conversation. Today, Jared wasted no time in trying to figure out my weekend plans.

"Any news on when your mom's coming home?" Jared asked, leaning back in his chair and crossing his arms across his chest. A pose that typically looks foreboding only looked sexy on Jared.

"Yea, she texted me this morning. She's not coming home yet, so I'm heading up there tomorrow morning." Some kids might hate the idea of spending time with their gramma, but not me. Gramma Ivy is the most laid back grandma I've ever met, and the fact that she's my gramma? I'm lucky. We have a lot in common, minus her affinity for skydiving (which apparently she did a lot of before I was born). We both love literature, traveling, and she's even the one who got me hooked on tribal dancing. According to my mom, when she told gram she was pregnant with me before she was even engaged, gram broke down in tears crying about how happy she was to welcome the next generation in. And you know what? I freaking love her for that – at a time when it would've been so easy to shame my mom, she gave her a hug and cried happy tears. She's one of the most amazing women I've ever known – besides my mom of course – and getting to spend some extra time with her isn't the worst thing that could've happened to my weekend.

Jared seemed a little put out though when I told him I was traveling up to Makah for the weekend. He didn't say anything negative but a little frown crept across his face that left me wondering why it mattered at all to him, considering we've been friends for just about 24 hours.

"What about you?" I asked, scrambling for anything to say to keep the conversation going. "Any plans this weekend?"

He looked a bit unsure of himself and paused a beat to scratch the back of his head, reminding me of how phenomenal that buzz cut looked him.

"I guess not much… I have work but that's about it."

I could only nod in response. Would it be rude to ask him where he worked? I hadn't even realized he had a job. But… the nagging fear came back, would that seem desperate? I didn't want him to think I was stalking him or anything stupid like that. I was worried that we were beginning to fall into an uneasy silence when he interrupted my train of thought:

"So, if you're not leaving till tomorrow, do you have any plans tonight?"

I shook my head slowly. "No, I don't think so."

A smile lit up his face, "How about we hang out then?"

"Really?" _Sweet baby Jesus, could I have sounded more pathetic?_

I didn't think it was possible but his smile grew, "Yea, 'really'. Why would you even have to ask that?"

There probably wasn't a good answer to begin with, and after a half of a second searching for one I went with the first thing I could think of: "Just surprised is all…"

Jared quirked an eyebrow at me, leaning forward and resting his elbows on his desk, but never dropping my gaze. "You shouldn't be surprised. You're amazing."

A vibrant blush was blossoming across my cheeks at a rapid rate and I could only send up a quick prayer of thanks for my dark skin tone which made it slightly less obvious. Choosing to ignore Jared's last comment – which I'm sure I'll be dissecting for the rest of my life, right after I commit it to memory – I nodded my head.

"Well, what do you want to do?"

"Let's do dinner and a walk on First Beach?" He suggested.

I nodded in agreement, "That sounds nice. But no cliff diving for me."

At that Jared let out a deep, throaty laugh, "As if I'd let you do something so dangerous."

And with that, the bell rang.

Jared walked me to my next class, and the stares I got from the dozens of girls swooning after him didn't go unnoticed… By me, or by Lily who was waiting for me at the door of my next class: Honors History US II.

Lily and I had met years ago in elementary school. We connected quickly since we're both so shy; even our moms clicked and they put Lily and me into all kinds of activities together, mainly so they could hang out while we played. Over the years we gradually dropped some of the activities (racquetball was probably one of the worst ideas our moms could've had), but we stuck with dance. La Push doesn't offer modern dance classes, so we have to drive into the neighboring town for those. So far we've stuck with ballet and jazz, in addition to our local tribal dance classes that are taught here on the rez. In terms of school we don't have many of the same classes; whereas I'm taking college level courses to try to earn credit ahead of time, Lily's following the standard college prep track. US History is our only class together besides lunch and study hall.

When Lily saw me approaching with Jared right next to me, her eyebrows shot up into her forehead.

"Hey Jared, how's it going?" she asked. That's the thing about Lily, she's quiet but friendly, and since she knows I like Jared she's going to put out some effort to get to know him.

"It's going well – glad it's Friday though."

"Same here." Lily replied softly, shifting her book bag on her shoulders and looking at me expectantly. "What do you say Kim? Ready to head in?"

"Yea, just save me a seat – I'll be right there."

Lily smiled knowingly at me before she turned and entered class.

"Not ready to leave me yet?" Jared asked jokingly. I wasn't sure what to say to that… The answer on my lips was "No, never!" but that would've been mortifying, and God knows I do enough to try not to embarrass myself.

"Well," I swallowed quickly, my nerves were rising rapidly so I continued before I lost the courage, "I guess I just wanted to know what time we were meeting up tonight? Ya, know… If you still want to hang out?"

His smile was reassurance enough, "Kim, you know I want to. I always want to."

My stomach came alive with butterflies; no wonder all the girls loved him. He's cute and perfect, and says all the right things.

"Do you mind if I come over again?" His eyes seemed so hopeful; I'd never noticed how expressive they were until yesterday… Although, to be fair, I don't think I ever really looked him in the eye until yesterday.

I smiled in response. I wasn't sure what to say, but my instincts were telling me that he'd know what I was thinking.

He smiled back just as the warning bell sounded, "Shit, I gotta go Kim – my class is on the other side of the building."

And then, it happened. He leaned down without any hesitation and kissed me on the cheek. His lips were burning hot on my cold skin and I felt instantly overcome by a sense of warmth. I gasped lightly, taken aback by the sensation and when he pulled away, he had the biggest grin I've ever seen, his eye color had darkened, and his voice was husky when he said:

"I'll see you soon, Kim."

Then, just like the wind, he was gone.

Touching my hand to my cheek and feeling the residual heat leftover I turned and headed into class. I may be love struck but I am never late to class.

As promised Lily had saved me a seat next to her towards the middle of the room. It was set to be an easy day since we'd just finished our historical essay on the assassination of JFK and were now watching a few episodes of "The Kennedy's" – a historical drama that our teacher was completely addicted to. By the time Mrs. Whalen had turned off the lights and pressed play on the episode, Lily already had her spare notebook out with a pen and was writing me a message.

 **Jared seems to really like you Kim, I didn't see him take his eyes off of you once!**

 _Don't be ridiculous; he barely knows me. Knowing my luck he was staring at a crust of drool I forgot to wipe off this morning._

 **First, there's no crusty drool to be seen. Secondly, he's been gone awhile. He looks like he's really changed, maybe his attitude has changed too? I heard he's been helping the Elders with some side projects. And if they trust him, that's a good sign.**

 _Rowan mentioned that this could be some elaborate prank when I was talking to her last night._

 **Of course she would; that doesn't mean that she's right though.**

 _I can't shake the idea off that he's making fun of me behind my back_.

 **I think you're overanalyzing this… From what you said yesterday he was nothing but sweet when he showed up at your house.**

There was a brief pause in our note scribbling while Lily and I watched a dramatic scene between JFK and Jackie unfold. My life had never been dramatic, in fact… It'd been the polar opposite. I was a straight A student who respected my mom, tried to please everyone, and stuck with hobbies like reading and dancing. The most dramatic thing to happen to me in recent memory would have to be the events of yesterday.

As my mind began to wonder, I had the sudden overwhelming feeling that I was standing on the precipice of something great. And I knew, without a doubt in my mind, that I felt this way because of Jared. I'm not sure why, or even what's really going on with him, but I'm not sure I could be any happier if I tried.


	9. Chapter 9

Chapter 9

Jared's POV

Walking away from Kim was a strange feeling; I'd noticed it last night when I left her house to head home… It felt like there was a heavy weight sitting on my heart, slowly killing me. When I'd asked Sam about it this morning on patrol, he said it gets easier, but it doesn't go away. I guess that's not a huge deal for Sam, since he lives with his imprint, but I wasn't so lucky. I can't imagine feeling like this every day I drop Kim off at one of her classes, or when we'd leave one another after a date… I'd spent most of the time I should've been sleeping last night imagining the future – when I wouldn't have to leave Kim. When we'd crawl into bed together, cuddled up and content…

A swift tug on my backpack almost sent me reeling backwards, but my reflexes are superhuman. Turning quickly I made a move to shove whoever tried to grab me, only to catch myself before I hit Paul.

"Chill the fuck out," he sighed as he fell into step next to me.

"Aww, didn't want to go to class without me?" I cooed halfheartedly; joking with Paul was a tricky affair. He'd either go along with it, or lash out in anger. Of us wolves, Paul is easily the most volatile, and I sure as hell don't feel like watching him wolf out in the middle of a high school hallway – most definitely nowhere near Kim.

"Shut up." He groaned.

I guess I was lucky that I had so many classes with Paul – it meant I wasn't alone in this mess of crazy.

"How's Kim today?" He asked, glancing over at me as we entered our English class. "Not that I know her well, but she was really quiet this morning…"

"She seems fine, just shy. She says she heading up to Makah tomorrow to meet up with her mom and visit her grandmother."

I couldn't miss the side glance Paul gave me, "And you're okay with that? She won't be nearby…" We both knew how lethargic and moody Sam got whenever Emily had to go out of town; her family lives up on the Makah rez too, so she's gone about once a month for a long weekend to visit them.

I shrugged, "Nope. Not really, but at this point it's pretty out of my control." Paul nodded in agreement, leaning back in his chair and shutting his eyes while he waited for class to start. But once the words had escaped my mouth, I couldn't stop the rest of them from tumbling out. "It's just so frustrating…" His eyes opened warily and he turned his attention back to me. "She's been around my whole life – do you know I used to live down the street from her, till my family moved? And she's been sitting next to me all year? And from what some of the girls said yesterday, I've been in classes with her before… I just… I can't believe I missed her. How did I miss her?" I paused trying to find the words that would make Paul understand, but coming up short – he wouldn't get it until he had an imprint of his own. "It's like missing the sun – I feel like I've been blind and only just realized what's been right in front of me…"

I must've trailed off without noticing, lost in my own thoughts of how blind I've been, because Paul caught me off guard when he spoke quietly next to me.

"Jared, you can't think of it like that." Paul ran a hand down his face, he looked ragged from all of the patrolling last night – like a true friend he'd taken my after school shift so I could find Kim. "You've found her now… And you're lucky, because she seems really nice and sweet; she's pretty, and from what some of the girls told you yesterday, she's had a crush on you before. You're in a much better position than Sam was when that imprinting shit went down for him."

Well, there was no denying that was true. And I can't lie – when Lane, a senior like me who has a math class with Kim, had said she thought Kim might've liked me a few years ago, the wolf inside me had growled with satisfaction.

"It's just… I don't even know where to start, or if I'm doing the right things…"

"So far, so good." Was Paul's reply before our teacher started lecturing us on the history of transcendentalism in American literature. I couldn't even begin to describe the lecture or tell anyone what the main idea of today's lesson had been; my thoughts were consumed by Kim. How she looked, smelled… How her eyes had sparkled when I'd pulled away from the kiss I'd dropped on her cheek. The photos decorating her family room, depicting her throughout the years when I'd failed to notice her. Now, I never want to leave her side.

The rest of the day passed in a fog; I'd gotten held up by one of my teachers who was adamant that I stay in for lunch to start making up some of my missed assignments from the past two months. I'm not saying I blame the guy for trying to give me a decent education, but come on… He couldn't have picked a worse time. I was hungry and, most importantly, longing to see Kim when he told me I needed to stay in for lunch. By the time I escaped, lunch was basically over and Kim was nowhere to be found… Her friend Rowan, on the other hand, was still eating her lunch with her nose stuck in an Advanced Calculus book.

"Hey Rowan – any chance you know where Kim is?" The words came out rushed; I needed to see her before the end of school so we could finalize our plans for tonight.

Swallowing an apple slice, her eyes slid up to meet mine. While the look itself wasn't particularly unfriendly, it was notably missing a friendly quality. "Weren't you supposed to meet her here at, oh, I don't know… The start of lunch?"

My heart dropped into my stomach.

"I got held up, is she upset? Where'd she go?"

"Don't let Rowan scare you, Jared." A small voice spoke up from behind me. Kim's other friend, Lily, had shown up to grab her book bag and collect a few folders from the table. "Kim was here, but she left for the library about ten minutes ago – but she might already be heading to class now," she warned, glancing at the clock.

I nodded quickly and thanked Lily, and shooting one last look at Rowan – if looks could kill, that girl would've had me dead - I turned and bee-lined for the library. She wasn't there, and I'm pretty sure our librarian thought I sounded like I was on drugs when I started asking if she'd seen Kim and if she knew where she went. The ache in my chest that I'd had since leaving Kim that morning was turning into a raging pit of frustration and anxiety, and I knew that if I didn't find my girl soon, I'd be a total wreck ready to phase at the sound of a pin drop.

Paul managed to calm me down when he saw my hands shaking in the hall, as I'd stood at my locker trying to get a handle on the rising frustration bubbling beneath the surface.

"You need to get a grip, Jared." He whispered harshly, "Kim's fine."

"I fucked up," I whispered back, "what if she's pissed? What if she hates me?"

"Alright drama queen, chill the fuck out."

I was frenzied, the wolf inside me impatient to see my imprint. Cracking my neck and knuckles I tried to release the tension building up within me. I was starting to feel like I was going to explode…

"Listen, I'm going to see Kim soon – we have art together."

"Will you tell her I'm sorry?" I knew I was pretty much jumping down his throat with that request, but I couldn't help it. "That I still want to see her later?"

"Yea, sure, whatever," he grumbled, beginning to walk away from me, "just stop being such a fucking girl."

The urge to punch Paul, in that moment, was strong… But if I did, I knew I'd send him flying into the lockers, probably breaking some of them, and that he'd go all wolf-man on me and start phasing. I have enough shit to deal with. Trying to crack my neck one last time and slamming my locker door shut I stomped off to the gym, ready to take out my frustrations on some unsuspecting asshole during dodgeball.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: Alright, here it is! The next chapter! Sorry for the bit of a delay in this chapter - I suddenly had the biggest urge to pick up a story I'd been writing months and months ago (it's a Harry Potter fanfiction called "Life Goes On" if you're interested) and it completely took over my life last week. Expect the next chapter update for "Then Came the Spark" Friday evening! In the meantime I'd love to hear some of your thoughts and feelings on Jared and Kim, reviews would be much appreciated!

Chapter 10

Kim's POV

The rest of the school day flashed by in the blink of an eye; Jared never met me at lunch but Lily explained in study hall that he had swung by looking for me. Rowan, usually so upbeat and excited about boys, seemed rather stoic and unsure of how to handle the situation. Regardless, I was too worried about getting home and straightening up before Jared came over to focus on Rowan's sudden attitude change. She doesn't keep things to herself, so I'm sure I'll hear about it sooner rather than later.

"Have a nice weekend Kim!" Lily called as she rushed past me towards her bus, "Call if you need anything! Oh! And say 'hi' to your gramma for me!" In a blur of black hair, swinging book bag, and flying papers she rushed by me and through the double doors.

As I double checked the books still in my locker – I was always nervous to leave school on Friday without all of the books and papers I'd need over the weekend – I felt a presence come to a stop behind me. Nervously shifting from one foot to the other, I glanced over my shoulder and was surprised to see none other than Rowan… I guess that conversation would be happening even sooner than I anticipated.

"Have everything you need for the weekend?" she asked as she swept her hair back into a sleek ponytail.

"Yea, I think so…" I nodded, shoving the last of my textbooks that I'd need into my large shoulder bag.

She snorted, "Do you really need all of those?"

A small smile crept across my lips – she knows me well. "Not exactly…"

"Always a nerd, Kim. Always!"

We laughed as we headed out of the building; we didn't walk home together very often. Rowan was very involved in extracurricular activities, so she usually stayed after school. Today was one of those rare occasions that we were able to walk home together.

"Jared still coming over tonight?"

I took a deep breath and contemplated my wording. "I think so; he mentioned doing dinner then taking a walk on First Beach…"

Rowan smiled at me, "That does sound really nice… What're you doing for dinner?"

"That, I'm not so sure of. He just mentioned dinner and the walk… I was thinking that if I got home earlier enough I could probably whip up some pasta and garlic bread." Dinner is all that had been on my mind since I'd spoken with Jared earlier. I was excellent at analyzing other people's comments and statements, and it struck me as slightly odd that Jared hadn't asked me 'out' to dinner. But, I'd been reminding myself all day that this entire situation was overwhelmingly odd and asking someone 'out' to dinner implied a date… Which Jared had most definitely not implied by any stretch of the imagination. I had to be careful not to get ahead of myself.

"Psh, screw that… It's Friday and it's not the 1950's – order in, go out to dinner, make him cook for you, but I wouldn't be bothered to cook for him."

I couldn't help but laugh, "What? Why not?"

"Don't set the precedent now, that you'll cook for him! My mom always says that she learned that the hard way… I swear that's part of why my parents fight so much. Mom hates cooking and always wants to order in, Dad can't stand it." Rowan rolled her eyes dramatically. "What're you planning to wear tonight?"

I feigned mock horror, "You mean this outfit isn't good enough?"

"Well," Rowan said as she jokingly stroked her chin in her best Tim Gun imitation, "maybe something a bit more formfitting?"

Now that caught me off guard… "Really?" I looked down at my outfit. Sure, it was modest and comfortable… Did I really need to change into something tighter?

"Isn't this kind of a date?" Quirking an eyebrow at me, Rowan was watching my face carefully, waiting to see a flicker of anxiety… I'm pretty sure she just saw what everyone else does: Pathetic junior girl who's so unaccustomed to dates that she wouldn't know one if it bit her in the ass.

I adjusted my bag, reflexively checking that I had my core subject textbooks. "I don't think so…"

"But it's dinner and a walk on First Beach?" Rowan wondered, absentmindedly scratching her head. "Doesn't the imply 'date'? No… doesn't that scream 'date'?"

"Is it a date if it wasn't specified as a date?"

"Maybe?" Rowan was beginning to look genuinely confused now. "I mean… I don't know… If there wasn't a label on it when he talked to you about, I wouldn't want to go labeling it."

"Exactly." I nodded in total agreement. "I don't want to get my hopes up for something only to find out it was a figment of my imagination."

I'd begun to walk a bit faster, the anxiety of whether or not this was a dating pulling me forward to my home where I could panic in privacy; Rowan reached forward and grasped my shoulder, gently but surely pulling me to a stop.

"Now, hold up Kim. Don't sabotage yourself." Her eyes rolled upwards to the sky, almost as if she was looking for the right words to say from some source of divine inspiration. The two of us stood in the damp dirt path that led towards our neighborhood, Rowan looking for the right words while I was just looking to get home before the rain hit. "The past two days have been really strange, ever since he saw you in Legends class… but I'm going to give Jared the benefit of the doubt: just because he never bothered to take the time to talk to you before his absence does not mean that he isn't being sincere. Judging by your phone call last night after he left, he seems to have… somewhat suddenly and strangely, no offense, developed a sudden interest in you… And quite frankly, as your best friend, I feel like it's about damn time! You've been interested in him for years Kim – you're a good, sweet person! Karma seems to be working in your favor at the moment, so don't psych yourself out of something that may be exactly, and all, that you've been hoping for!"

My jaw had hit the ground somewhere between the middle and end of Rowan's little tirade. Rowan may have been my best friend and all, but she wasn't an overly emotional type of person. She usually preferred to maintain a safe distance from drama and observe with interest while she analyzed all parties involved. This was very unlike her – of course I'd always known she was fiercely protective, but I'd never expected her to be such a fierce defender of me… I had the sudden urge to dig some paper out of my book bag and try to write down all of what she'd just said – it was beautiful and empowering, and something I couldn't help but wish I heard more often. I knew the second I got home and had a moment to myself I'd be frantically trying to scribble down and recreate all of what Rowan had just said; it was something I wanted to read every morning before school and every night before bed. I couldn't help or even be bothered to try to overcome the overwhelming urge to lean in and pull her into a fierce hug.

"Wh- what is happening Kim?" Rowan asked startled as she patted my back, awkwardly but undoubtedly in an attempt to be soothing.

"Thanks for that… I really needed that reminder today…" I whispered into her shoulder while I squeezed my eyes shut tight trying to stop the tears from overflowing.

"Holy shit… are you crying?"

"No…" I stuttered sloopily, my voice overcome with emotion that betrayed the tears pooling in my eyes. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to be so girly about it," I chuckled pulling away and doing my best to keep my tears from falling down my face, "it's just… what you just said? It meant a lot…"

Rowan threw her arm around me and hugged me tight to her side as we continued our walk home, "Yea… sure thing Kim… I love you too."

Eventually Rowan and I went our separate ways; we may have lived in the same neighborhood, but LaPush was fairly spread out. The second I'd stepped into the house I dropped my bag by the door and winced at the resounding thump it gave. Normally, had my mom been home, she would've commented that carrying all those books to and from school wasn't good for my back, but then she'd smile at me warmly and call me her 'little bookworm'. The house felt notably colder without her there; but I didn't have much time to contemplate how much 'homier' home felt with her – I had Jared to worry about.

Racing upstairs to my room, I threw my bedroom door wide open and bee-lined it towards my closet. I didn't have too many clothes - I preferred to spend any spare money I had on books – but what Rowan had mentioned before we separated resonated with me. Whether or not tonight was technically a date was completely out of my realm of comprehension, but that didn't mean I couldn't at least look nice. Form fitting clothes weren't my typical staple, but I did have a clean camisole that I could wear under my ballet cardigan… I'd pair it with skinny jeans and flats to keep from looking like I was trying too hard. From there I was rushing to apply a bit more makeup then I usually would – foundation to even out my russet skin tone, a tinted lip balm, and some eyeshadow that would make the mascara I'd put on this morning pop. Nothing too flashy – my mom always told me it was better to wear less, in case you over applied and wound up looking like a prostitute. Thinking quickly about some of the looks I'd seen girls at school sporting, I had to agree with my mom – she wasn't wrong.

I'd rushed through getting ready and was surprised to find that my clock indicated I'd only been home for half an hour… I'd never found Jared after he missed our lunch to decide what time we'd meet up, and the pit in my stomach was something I knew would be there all night until he turned up or reached out. So, I did the only thing I could think of and headed downstairs to straighten the house up… In case he decided to come in… In case he actually turned up.

As I began the tedious process of straightening up I turned up the radio and opened some of the windows to let a nice cool breeze float through the downstairs. Nothing makes cleaning quite as tolerable as blasting some good music and dancing around.

 **Jared's POV**

Try as I might I couldn't seem to catch a fucking break. Paul claimed that he talked to Kim in their art class, but the conversation hadn't lasted long. Whether that was because Paul couldn't carry a conversation, Kim was too shy, or the teacher had required silent work, I wasn't sure I'd ever know. I just knew that Kim had managed to get out of school before I'd seen her again, which meant our plans for tonight hadn't been solidified and I was left feeling like the biggest douchebag in the history of the world. On top of being detained during lunch I was also being kept after school by my college and career advisor who seemed to think I had college or a career to look forward to… God… Life could be such a fucking joke sometimes. What I had to look forward to was my future with Kim, who I'd just missed leaving school… College? Not likely with the sudden influx of fucking vampires.

I didn't even get out of my advisor's office till fifteen minutes after the final bell had rung and by the time I'd reached the school parking lot it'd all but cleared out with the exception of some teacher's cars, and a few random other students. And of course Paul. Who was leaning up against my beat up truck looking like he was ready to punch something.

"Dude, what the fuck?" Paul growled at me as he stalked around the truck to the passenger side, throwing his book bag in the trunk and slamming the car door.

"Don't start that shit with me, Paul." I snarled at him as I through the car into drive and sped out of the little senior parking lot.

"Where the hell were you?"

"Getting college and career guidance from a total idiot." I shot Paul a look, "Have you been called in yet?"

"Me?" He started laughing, "Uh, that'd be a strong no. I don't know if the school would even bother wasting their time calling me in for that – I've never had the grades for college, even from before the change."

"Yea, well…" I couldn't find the words. "Consider yourself lucky. It pretty much sucks to hear people tell you, you have all this potential when you know that there isn't a chance in hell of it working out."

"Not under the regime of Sergeant Sam." Paul snarled.

"Don't be like that – he's tough, but he's not an asshole on purpose."

"Could've fooled me." Paul and Sam don't have the best relationship. Sometimes I wonder if I only phased to keep them from killing one another.

"And I don't think Sam would keep us from college if he didn't need us… Sounds like there might be more of us soon if you listen to Old Quil and Billy Black."

There was a near deafening silence that filled the truck cabin before Paul spoke lowly, "You know… I really hope not… I wouldn't wish this shit on my worst enemy."

"Same, man. Same."

 **Kim's POV**

Dancing through Beyonce's album had put me in a better mood… That's not to say that it erased my memory and made me forget about Jared, but it did its job. My endorphins were running high and I suddenly felt like I could take on the world – or at least the family room, which was now the cleanest it'd been since mom's last spring cleaning… Three years ago.

I chanced a quick glance out the front window. No Jared.

But there was a nagging feeling in the back of my mind – I was forgetting something. My phone! I gave Jared my phone number yesterday!

Racing, much like a lunatic, towards the front door where I'd dropped my bag after school I fell to my knees and began frantically searching for my old cell phone. It was old… And heavy – not like the cool new iPhones that some of the richer kids at school had, but it did the job and it had a full keyboard for texting which was all I really needed. And there it was: seven missed calls and twelve text messages. All. From. Jared.

My heart was pounding as I scrolled through the messages; I wasn't used to getting calls or messages from anyone other than Rowan or Lily, or my mom for that matter, but I should've been smart enough to keep my phone with me. God, was I the worst teenage girl, or what?

Seven missed calls from Jared. Twelve text messages from Jared. What I'd learned? He was already on his way over.

Fortuitously enough, just when my heart's pounding had reached its fever pitch, the doorbell rang.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: Thank you for all of the review-love that you've sent my way this week! Sorry I'm a smidge late in updating, we lost power thanks to a massive thunderstorm last night. From now on, expect weekly updates for this story on Sunday evenings.

I hope you all like this chapter; it's filled with fluff and sweetness. It's adorable and I hope you all like it at least half as much as I do. Make sure you check out the song by Switchfoot I reference in this chapter (Hello Hurricane), I've been listening to it on repeat as I write this chapter and I like to think of it as an underlying theme for this story.

And, shameless plug, in case you're interested check out my Harry Potter, Marauder's Era story I've got going. If you're familiar with the Harry Potter universe and enjoy this love story, I think you'll like my other one too! It's called "Life Goes On". Shameless plug, I know.

Enjoy!

 **Chapter 11**

Jared's POV

It was a faint noise, but my hyper-acute wolf senses were able to pick up the sound of Kim's footsteps treading lightly towards the door, hesitantly and quietly. I wasn't entirely sure what was going on; the day had completely gotten away from me, what with idiot after idiot keeping me from meeting Kim, and then to top it all off she never bothered to call or text me back. I should've tried texting her during school, but I had the distinct impression that Kim was one of those students who kept their phone in their locker to avoid any distractions. Which was unbelievably weird, but also unbelievably adorable.

The heavy front door swung open slowly to reveal Kim peeking around it, smiling shyly with her long black hair falling over her shoulder.

"Hey Jared, come on in." Her voice sounded like honey, dripping slowly from her lips. It took all of the willpower I had not to kiss her as I walked by, but I had to keep in mind what Sam had said when he'd called after school: ' _Keep it simple for now – you'll want her to be comfortable with you before you start anything new… Be her friend first; just because you have these feelings doesn't mean she does.'_ I won't lie, that had hurt… The very idea that Kim may not feel the same way about me, as I do about her, caused a bitter ache deep in my chest. But more than anything, I trusted in Sam; he'd experienced imprinting first hand and I knew, without a doubt, that he'd guide me along the right way to handle things – no fellow wolf would want to see another in pain over their imprint.

"I'm really sorry about earlier today," I began before launching into an account of how my teacher had held me, then my college advisor had setup an impromptu appointment. "Seriously, I tried to find you at school, but you were always in class or gone."

Her smile seemed so genuine when she replied, "Jared, it's fine. Honestly, I don't mind."

I won't lie – the idea that she didn't mind bothered me a bit… Probably because most of the other girls I've gone out with would've ripped my balls off for less.

"So what're you in the mood for?"

"Well, I'm not sure," Kim shrugged her shoulders noncommittally, "do you want me to whip something up?"

"What?" My eyes must've been bulging out of my head, I hadn't expected this. "No!"

Her eyes widened in shock, "Excuse me?"

Backtracking quickly was all Jared could do to save himself, "I just mean that I don't want you to cook for me…" At Kim's quirked eyebrow, I quickly realized my mistake. "And by that I just mean that it wasn't what I'd planned…" The eyebrow was twitching higher and higher on Kim's forehead – every nerve in my body was suddenly on fire – why was I screwing this up? Why couldn't I say the right thing? "As in I'd love you to cook dinner, just not tonight…" Her eyebrow seemed to have settled into a perfect arch.

"Well…" her lips pursed together thoughtfully, "I think I know where you're going with that, but the delivery could've used some work." The side of her mouth hitched up in a half smile and I felt my heart race a bit. _This girl was fucking perfect._

I couldn't help but smile back at her. My God, am I lucky or what?

"You're absolutely right; what I should've said is that I'd love to take you out to dinner."

A look of surprise quickly passed over Kim's features before they reconfigured themselves back into her usual pleasant expression – something in my gut telling me that Kim doesn't get surprised very often.

"That'd be lovely," she smiled wildly, excitement unabashedly rolling off of her in waves. Her excitement was contagious and I could feel it catching hold of me, grabbing my heart and squeezing it tight – she was beautiful always, but with the thousand watt smile gracing her features, the slight blush to her cheeks, and her clear excitement I knew that I was, without shame, completely and totally, one hundred percent, already in love with the most perfect girl in the entire world. She briefly turned around to reach behind her and grab her purse and keys off of the hall table before following me out the door and onto the small, rickety porch. "So where are we going?"

I threw her a smile over my shoulder as I hustled down the porch steps to my struck, opening the door for her. As she hopped up into the truck bed she looked at me expectantly. Now that she was up in the truck we were finally the same height. I leaned in towards her, my hands gripping the edge of her seat, and took a deep breath. "How do you feel about callin' in a Chinese food order and having a bit of a picnic on the beach?"

The gorgeous smile was back, lighting up my truck cabin. "Yes!" She nodded emphatically, "I haven't had Chinese in forever!"

"Seriously? Because I have it about once a week," I laughed as I grabbed my phone from the cup holder that I keep it in while driving, scrolling through my contacts list I easily found Wu's Bistro… It was saved as a favorite. "Do you know what you want, or should I look up the menu?"

"I could go for some chicken and broccoli,"

"Anything else?"

"Pork fried rice?"

"Don't say it like it's a question!" I laughed loudly as I pressed call, "When you're with me and we're talking food, you should be proud of what you want to eat. Say it loud and say it proud, sweetheart." I glanced quickly at Kim, just in time to see her cheeks tinge pink and her head swivel to look out the window. She seemed to suddenly find her mailbox incredibly interesting… I couldn't wipe the grin off my face as I threw my car into drive and quickly placed the order as I headed towards Forks – that's the thing about living in La Push… There's next to nothing here; Wu's Bistro's on the outskirts of Forks so it'd be a quick enough drive to get there and get back to the beach while the food's still hot.

"That's a lot of food that you just ordered…" Kim seemed to wonder aloud. I could've kicked myself, of course she'd notice the obscene amount of food I just ordered – mostly for myself. Ever since wolfing out months ago my appetite increased tenfold.

"My ma says I'm a growing boy," was my go-to response, but somehow it felt wrong using it with Kim. Every part of me wanted to come clean and tell her about what was really happening to me, explain all that I'd experienced over the past several weeks, and explain how it'd brought us together. But, and it was a big but, that was not on tonight's agenda. In fact, I'm sure Sam would kick my ass for even thinking it.

"I'll say," she mumbled under her breath.

Within minutes we were at Wu's picking up the order; the adorable little minx tried to pay for her dinner but caved in after a short-lived argument with me:

" _Jared, really, it's fine! I can pay for myself."_

" _No."_

" _Honestly, I don't mind."_

" _No."_

" _Jared, be reasonable."_

" _Kim. No."_

" _Do you always treat your friends to dinner?"_

" _Do you really have to ask?"_

 _Silence. Then…_

" _Okay. Fine."_

We were back in the truck and headed towards First Beach when I realized the cabin was filled with silence.

"Do you mind if we play some music?" I asked, my hand already twitching to turn on the radio.

"Go for it." Kim was pulling her hair up into a messy bun piled on top of her head. It was messy, but perfect. Then again, as I was quickly realizing, everything looked perfect on Kim.

The radio began playing lightly in the cabin and some song I'd never heard of was filling the atmosphere.

Suddenly, and completely unexpectedly I might add, Kim was reaching for the volume dial and blasting the music, shouting out "I love this song!"

Shock flooded my system briefly; everything I've learned about Kim thus far made her out to be a very thoughtful individual – always thinking before she speaks, so the surprise that overwhelmed me by this unprecedented (for lack of a better word) happening was very real.

"What's the name?" I shouted over the music.

"It's called 'Hello Hurricane' by Switchfoot!" she shouted back happily, lightly singing along to the lyrics and bouncing around in her seat.

I had to give it to her; the song was pretty good and I definitely liked the beat. More than anything though, I liked her response to the song. She seemed carefree for once, not quite as nervous as she usually seems – especially at school.

Another minute or two passed and the song came to an end; Kim leaned forward to turn the volume back down, smiling sheepishly at me.

"I'm so sorry, especially if that was actually as obnoxious for you as I'm imagining it was in my head…" she trailed off before crossing her arms across her chest and leaning back into the seat, biting her lip and looking just a bit too uncomfortable for my liking.

"Not at all, it was a good song… Do you really like music?"

"Well, not all music. Just the good stuff." _Cheeky girl._

"Alright Miss Music Connoisseur, enlighten me then, what's the good stuff?"

"First off, excellent use of an SAT level vocabulary word," she joked, finally uncrossing her arms and relaxing again. "And… I don't know. I like music with a beat,"

"Probably because you're a dancer," came my inadvertent reply. Great, no I sound like a stalker.

Kim looked surprised for a second before regaining the poise that she seems to exude while she's at school with her friends. "Maybe… But I think a lot of it has to do with the lyrics, or the feeling. Like, Billy Joel – I love his stuff, 'Only the Good Die Young' is probably my favorite…"

Listening to her describe her taste in music, her favorite artists, different concerts her mom had taken her to over the years I got the distinct impression that I could listen to Kim talk forever.

The rest of the night went by in similar fashion; we ate our dinner on the beach using the blanket and cutlery Emily had thought to pack in the back of my truck yesterday after she'd given me the idea for a picnic on the beach. I'd been worried beforehand that Kim, sometimes so shy, wouldn't be in the talking mood. I couldn't have been more pleasantly surprised; conversation flowed all evening on topics ranging from school to hobbies. Part of me wondered if Kim even realized how much she was talking; the girl really was, by all means, an open book. Many of the girls I'd been out with before would've played it coy and been wary about what they divulged about themselves; Kim was like a breath of fresh air. She was open and funny and easy to talk to and a million other things that I'm not sure how to describe. But every second with her felt like I'd just realized I won the lottery; and every time it crossed my mind that we were destined to be together, it felt like I'd had the wind knocked out of me. By the time I'd dropped her off at her house that night, and kissed her good night on the cheek, and made it back to my truck before my smile actually split my bottom lip, the only thought running through my mind was constant and repetitive. _I love her. I love her. I love her._


	12. Chapter 12

**A/N: I figured a little bit more of fluff wouldn't hurt anyone! And this chapter just kind of flowed... It's not what I'd expected to write, but once I started I just couldn't find it in me to change the direction of this chapter. So here it is, some fluff from Kim with a bit of insight into her anxiety and relationship with her mom. Thoughts, feelings, and reviews are like candy: wonderful and always appreciated!**

 **Chapter 12**

 **Kim's PO** V

Normally, I'm the first to complain on Monday mornings that weekends are too short, time goes by too quickly, and that whoever developed the weekday to weekend ratio was on drugs. Turns out, that's not really the case when you're looking forward to something… Or someone.

After spending Friday night with Jared I laid awake in my bed for hours upon hours trying, and failing, to fall asleep. Everything about our kind-of-date but not-really-a-date was running through my mind like a broken record: bits of conversation that had me laughing harder than I can remember, the looks Jared snuck at me when he thought I wasn't looking at him, the looks I snuck at Jared… Every last part of our Friday night excursion to the beach left me feeling electrified; alive in ways I hadn't realized I was missing before. And that kiss on the cheek at the end of the night? I'm not kidding when I say someone could've knocked me over with a feather.

The strangest part? My anxiety wasn't such an issue. My grams likes to tell me I'm an old soul, but a very nervous person; she's not wrong. After a total meltdown over a test that I'd prepared for but didn't feel confident about, mom took me to the pediatrician and not long after I was diagnosed with high-functioning anxiety… that was in sixth grade. Mom and I tried the medicinal route, but the meds made me foggy and I always felt 'off'. I'd been so worried all day Friday about Jared – was he actually going to come over? Was this a date? Was this not a date? Was this a joke? The list of worries could go on for miles; my nerves had felt like live wires and my stomach muscles had felt tight and ready to spring. But then Jared came. And the weird part? Nothing happened. I didn't explode or shut down or a million other things that have happened to me before… I was suddenly the best version of myself. For God's sake, I even sang along to music while we were driving to the beach! We talked and laughed and joked; he ran his hands up and down my arms when he noticed how cold I was – he laughed when I'd commented how hot he was and made some stupid sexual innuendo that had me blushing but laughing.

I'd woken up Saturday and taken a cab to the Makah Rez; I'd thought about bringing up the taxi ride to Jared the night before, just to see if he'd offered to drive, but decided against it. I was just happy he knew who I was finally; I didn't want to come across as a desperate psycho chick who was using him for his wheels. Turns out… I should've just mentioned it. Jared wound up texting me during the ride to Makah. I'd left early –at about nine in the morning so I could meet up with my mom and grams in time for brunch – and Jared's texts started coming in about thirty minutes into the hour and a half ride.

He'd been cheerful and sweet, asking if I wanted to grab breakfast with him before heading up to Makah; he even offered to drive me from wherever we went for breakfast up to my grams house. I'd responded quickly, completely thrilled that he was texting me:

 _Actually, I'm already on my way up to my gram's house. The taxi picked me up about half an hour ago! But thanks for the offer!_

I never would've expected – honestly, I doubt I would've ever dreamed – the onslaught of text messages from Jared that had my phone buzzing nearly nonstop.

 _What?_

 _You called a taxi?!_

 _Why didn't you say you didn't have your own car?_

 _I would've driven you up there!_

 _Does this taxi driver have their license and certificate on display? Google says they need that…_

The messages were coming so quickly it was all I could do to just read one before the next one came; they arrived one after the other, in such a quick succession that even the cab driver commented on how popular I was. Ha. If only he knew.

 _Jared, calm down. I thought you knew I didn't have a car; but it's not a big deal. I'm taking a cab up to Makah and I'll drive back down with my mom tomorrow night._

 _And yes, I can see the certificate; Ehsanullah seems like a very nice cab driver._

The rest of the ride had been spent texting Jared; I never even picked up the book I'd brought with me. We texted about anything and everything: school, hobbies, families. It was a lot like the night before and I couldn't help but to feel impressed by just how invested and interested Jared seemed in my life. For every question I asked him, he asked me two in return, always commenting on what I'd said or asking other related questions. Just like the night before, I felt special. Important. Interesting and wanted. I was riding a high; a high that was all thanks to Jared.

The rest of the weekend dragged by. I love my gramma and I firmly believe that had this been the weekend before Jared noticed me, I would've enjoyed myself much more. But being cooped up in a house with my mom and grams was not where I wanted to be. I wanted to be sharing all of the details of Friday night with Rowan and Lily, in person while eating chocolate and popcorn, as The Notebook played in the background. I wanted to sit down with my mom, alone in our kitchen, and tell her everything I knew about Jared while we had a bowl of ice cream loaded with hot fudge and sprinkles. I wanted to go to the mall in Port Angeles and finally take my mom up on updating my wardrobe. I wanted to dance around my room with my iPod blasting, swishing my hair around and around until I felt like I was invincible. Instead, I spent the weekend helping my mom cook and clean, doing school work, washing grams clothes, and waiting for a call from Lily or Rowan or a text from Jared. Pathetic? A bit. Normal? Probably.

It wasn't until Sunday evening, on the ride home, that I was finally able to tell mom all about Jared and the events of Thursday and Friday. And I'm not kidding when I say that she was so happy, she cried. Literally. She pulled over to the side of the road and started sobbing these happy tears. She cried and laughed and hugged me; I'm sure this sounds crazy, but it's my mom and she's one of my best friends. It's been me and mom for as long as I can remember; taking on the world together, traveling, and supporting one another. She's my constant. She's my rock. She's heard me talk about Jared for years and years – ever since he saved me that day at school all those years ago – and though she's always been supportive of my unrequited crush, she also empowered me to be my own person, take my future in my own hands and make it the life that I wanted. But, she's still my mom and she couldn't have been more ecstatic to see something I've been wishing for finally start to come true. Even though, as I constantly had to remind myself, there was nothing romantic between me and Jared.

" _Sweetie, don't kid yourself… That boy kissed you on the cheek twice. You know what that means? That means he likes you. As more than a friend. Because, and I shouldn't have to remind you of this, friends don't just kiss their friends."_

" _Ma, don't be ridiculous. It's Jared." I whined, leaning forward to turn the volume up on the radio._

 _Mom was quick though and dialed it back down so I could hear her over the music. "No. Kimberly, I've raised you to be smart so don't you dare start flaking on me now."_

" _He's cool, and popular, and every girl at school likes him…"_

" _What's that supposed to mean? You're not good enough?" She laughed, "You're the best thing that's ever happened to me – that boy is lucky you're even talking to him."_

 _I sighed, leaning my head against the cool window and trying to find the words to make my mom understand. "You have to say that. You're my mom."_

" _Well, you're not wrong. But that doesn't mean you're entirely right either. You're my kid, and you're perfect to me. As far as I'm concerned it's high time this Jared fella noticed you." Mom smiled over at me and I saw her hand itching for the volume dial, "Now, I'm thinking celebratory milkshakes on the way home?"_

 _I nodded vigorously and mom blasted the radio._

That was hours ago; mom and I had laughed over our milkshakes and she'd made me promise that Wednesday night I'd take a break from studying for the SAT's so we could head to the mall for new clothes… Or in her words:

" _New everything Kim. New bras, new panties, new jeans, and new tops. You could use a new leotard for dance too, and maybe even a new pair of sneakers if you're serious about training for the 5k you and Rowan were talking about last weekend. Why don't we make it a girls' night? Maybe invite Lily and Rowan? Grab dinner in the city?"_

I'd called Rowan and Lily as soon as I'd gotten home and both were thoroughly on board; it was one of our nights off from dance class and there weren't any big tests scheduled for Thursday yet. By the time I got out of the shower Rowan and Lily had already started a joint, but secret, Pinterest board dedicated to giving me a wardrobe makeover. Even though I rolled my eyes, and knew I'd play it off as silly when they mentioned it to me tomorrow, I was secretly glad; I don't need a makeover, but the attention was nice.

It was about 9:30 when I finally settled into bed with my worn out copy of _Harry Potter and the Half Blood Prince_. I'd only just started reading where I'd left off when my phone chimed with a text message: Jared.

"Hey Kim, home safe?"

"Yup – got in a few hours ago."

"So you'll be at school tomorrow?"

"Yes, absolutely."

"Great, do you need a lift to school?"

I'd paused there, unsure of what to say… my nerves were starting to bubble up in my stomach, so I took that as a sign.

"Thanks, but no. I like my morning walks." I figured my alone time in the mornings was something I could use; just because I hadn't suffered an anxiety attack on Friday, didn't mean I was immune.

There'd been a few minutes of silence before another text message came through:

"Alright, but if it's pouring tomorrow when I leave for school, I'm picking you up."

He sounded bossy but I couldn't find it in me to be annoyed. I sighed to myself, texted him a smiley face, leaned back into my pillows, and found myself content with my book.

All felt right in the world.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: Words can't even describe how sorry I am for the delay on this story - and I want to make sure you all know that I am NOT abandoning it. Between family birthdays (there's been one each weekend for the past month), the new Beauty and the Beast movie (which I love and have now seen 4 times *looks away ashamedly*), my time working as a teacher and a Thirty-One consultant, and my recent trip to Disney World, I've been totally swamped. So, to make up for the huge delay here is a nice, new chapter for you all. And for those of you who've been following this story you may have noticed that this chapter is a fair bit longer than usual! I hope you all love this chapter as much as I do; it honestly just flowed and I hope that you feel the same.

Reviews are the best and I'd love to hear your thoughts! I just want to finish up by giving a quick shout out to some of my lovely reviewers, every single one of the reviews I've received have put a genuine smile on my face, and I really can't thank you enough... LegendLover94, cheerleading847, Annabel7777777, and xBlownxAwayx (not to mention those great Guest reviews!). You're all amazing and beautiful people - thank you for all of the positivity.

Without further ado...

 **Chapter 13**

 **Kim's POV**

Monday and Tuesday had passed without incident and I was slowly growing accustomed to Jared's near constant presence in my life. There were times that the newfound attention made me uncomfortable, but I was determined to push myself out of my comfort zone, I'd just have to do it slow and steady.

I wasn't used to being the center of someone's attention – certainly not someone other than my mom – but with Jared it felt different. It was fun and exciting; sometimes I'd catch him looking for me in the hall and when our eyes met a smile would spread slowly, sexily, across his face before he'd make his way over to me. He tried to meet with me after some of my classes to walk me to the next (something I'd tried to kibosh when I realized he was literally running across the school do so between some of our classes that were nowhere near one another). The past few days I'd woken up to text messages from Jared, checking in to see if I wanted a lift to school. While I appreciate the offer thus far I'd stuck resolutely with no; it may seem like walking to school by yourself when you have rides offered to you, could make you a bit of a loner, but there was something about those walks that I'd always found calming. The steady sound of my feet on the dirt path. My iPod blasting in my ears. The steady shuffle of flashcards in my hands as I walked and reviewed for a test. Those walks to school were a time when I felt unencumbered by the weight of others watchful gazes. Losing those calming walks wasn't an option. At least, not yet.

It was a strange, new reality that I wouldn't change for the world. I went to bed every night feeling content and looking forward to the next day... It was a strange sensation not dreading school and all of the socializing and awkwardness associated with it. There was still a constant, underlying fear that went along with the feeling that a rug was going to be pulled out from under me… I hadn't been able to shake the nerves that seemed to always have a hold on me, but Rowan and Lily were doing a nice job of boosting me up whenever they saw me start to flounder under the weight of my nerves.

Jared wasn't the only recent change… His friend, Paul, had taken to talking with me in our art class, randomly switching seats with the quiet kid from my science class so that he could sit next to me. Our conversations were always short and simple:

" _How's your day?"_

" _It's going well, yours?"_

" _School sucks."_

" _Okay then."_

Or…

" _What's the name of that kid who knocked you into the locker?"_

" _What?"_

" _That kid, the one who shoulder checked you into that locker outside of class…"_

" _Paul, it was an accident."_

" _I don't care."_

"… _I'm not telling you his name."_

" _I'll find out anyway."_

" _Don't be an idiot, Paul."_

" _That's impossible."_

It'd only been a few days and my conversations with Paul were incredibly short, even by 'shy girl' standards, but I was starting to warm up to him. I'd always considered him to be a bit of a brute; if the rumors were true then I had to acknowledge that he was basically a man-whore, who'd slept his way through most of the senior girls and a fair amount of my fellow juniors, with some serious anger problems (there was a hole in the Principal's office wall to prove it) but he was starting to feel like family. Almost like a brother. Or… how I'd imagine I'd feel if I had a brother. He was reserved around me but still caring; whenever we needed supplies he made sure I had what I needed and always offered to get me something if he saw me make a move for the supply closet.

Of course, he still made me nervous. I mean, it's Paul. The guy punched a hole in the wall for God's sake. But, still… I was warming up to him and I think he felt the same way about me. Today, for instance, he split his Crunch bar with me which may not seem like much but, in his own words: _"Want some? I don't offer this shit to just anybody…"_ Not exactly the epitome of friendship, but it felt like a solid step towards something more than just an acquaintance.

"Are you sure I can't give you a ride home from school?" Jared groaned, leaning his head against the locker next to mine and throwing me his signature puppy-dog eyes. His gaze was adorable, but watchful. It never left me as I pulled out my calculus textbook and double checked the contents of my book bag for the third time.

I did my best to hide my small smile, there was something about his constant offers to drive me to school and drop me at home after that made me swoon... It seemed so gentlemanly that I couldn't help but feel like a lady being courted. "Nope. I'm good. Thank you though."

He sighed dramatically but never dropped his watchful gaze. As I closed my locker and turned to leave he followed me, just as he'd done every other day this week. "So tonight's a girls night, huh?"

"Yup."

Scratching his head and running a hand through his shorter hair he continued, "What exactly does that entail? Pillow fights in your underwear?"

I felt my cheeks flush beat red, _was he serious_? I glanced over at Jared quickly, trying to gauge just how serious he was and found myself unbelievably relieved when I noticed him staring straight back at me and clearly trying not to laugh. Breathing a sigh of relief, I couldn't help but to join in his little game: "Oh. No. That's only on weekends, this is a weeknight so there's just not enough time for that."

He groaned lowly, almost a growl, and responded in a voice even deeper than his usual, "God, Kim, don't joke about stuff like that."

Not sure what to say to that I kept quiet, content in the quiet knowledge that I'd succeeded in playing along and throwing him off. No one ever expected the quiet girl to say something sarcastic or witty, much less something reference any fictitious involvement in nearly nude pillow fights with her best friends. People always seem to underestimate me. I'm shy, not naïve… Not to mention I have a strong obsession with nearly all CW shows, so I know how teenage angst, love, and lust work.

"So what exactly are you doing tonight then?" Jared continued, clearing his throat and walking me towards the path that led to my house. I was a little bit surprised since his truck wasn't anywhere near the path that I took to walk home, so I just ignored the butterflies that were springing up in my stomach with the realization that he was walking me home and did my best to stay composed. But it's Jared. And he's walking with me. And, quite honestly, I just couldn't bring myself to care that his car wasn't anywhere in sight.

"Headed to Port Angeles; just a bit of a shopping trip, I guess. It was my mom's idea." I was stammering now, the little bit of confidence I'd had just minutes before was dwindling away… I wasn't sure how much detail Jared wanted me to go into – surely he didn't actually want to know what I was buying. We were friends. Nothing more.

He nodded, but the look on his face read clear as day that he was waiting for me to continue.

Gulping nervously I went on, "Just picking up some new clothes… I guess it's been awhile since I've gotten anything new."

He quirked his eyebrow at that, and I couldn't help but read it as an unspoken question. _Why haven't you gotten anything new lately?_

"You know, I haven't needed anything in a while and my mom just wants to update my wardrobe a bit."

"So what're you looking to buy?"

Now it was my turn to quirk an eyebrow at him, wasn't he listening? "Clothes."

He laughed loudly, "No, I mean… Like… I don't know. What kind of clothes?"

The nagging question in the back of my head was a simple one: _why does he care?_

"I don't know… just normal girl clothes?" My answer was lame. Pathetic even. But I found myself lost, unsure of what direction Jared was steering this conversation in. Did he want to know if I was buying a moo-moo or a sexy lingerie set? My cheeks flushed at the thought.

"Well that's silly," he began and my head whipped around instinctively. _This was it. This was the other shoe about to drop. The metaphorical rug was about to be pulled right out from under me._ "You shouldn't buy normal girl clothes. You're not a normal girl." He pulled me into a sudden embrace; his huge left arm was wrapped around my petite dancer's shoulders and the sudden smell of him was overwhelming. He smelled so good; manly, rugged, and way better than whatever shit those boys are dousing the halls with between classes. "You're way more than normal. You're extraordinary."

I was blushing furiously now, unsure of what to say. "Thanks…"

"Do me a favor Kim. Buy something that makes you feel confident."

My eyes went wide as I turned to stare up into his, "Huh?"

"I'm serious." He continued, "Buy yourself something that makes you feel as beautiful as you really are."

We walked the rest of the way to my house in silence. After all, how does a girl even respond to that?

"Ugh, Kim!" Rowan wailed dramatically from a few racks over. "Don't you dare add that sweater to your pile – you've already got a dozen sweaters at home. You need something different!"

We were raiding the racks of Forever 21 at the Port Angeles Mall; we hadn't been at the mall long but we'd already eaten dinner with my mom and then she'd headed off to the Rizzieri Salon to get a manicure and pedicure. My mom didn't indulge often – after all, our household functioned solely on her income – so I was happy she was feeling festive enough to splurge a little on herself.

Lily peeked around another rack a few feet away, "Rowan's right, Kim."

I glanced down at my pile of clothes: two pairs of black leggings and three sweaters. The sigh that slipped between my lips told my friends all they needed to know.

"Don't worry, Kim. Sweaters are fine but you've got enough at home, we should look for something else." Rowan began while Lily unlocked her phone to pull up the secret Pinterest board the two had created for my mini-makeover.

"Alright, look through some of these and pick your favorite. We'll try to re-create that outfit." Lily said as she handed over her phone and Rowan gently took the three sweaters from my arms and returned them to a nearby rack.

I swiped through the pictures of tall, skinny girls wearing trendy clothes. Sure, I liked what I saw but I couldn't help the doubt slowly invading my mind – these models were gorgeous, how would these clothes look on me?

Finally, I settled on one that I liked and thought I could, maybe, pull off. It was a skirt that hugged the waist but flared out at the thighs, with a pair of tights under; tucked into the skirt was a nice, but plain, top with a jean jacket over it.

Lily smiled broadly, "Nice choice!" And with that Rowan and Lily went to work collecting different options for skirts and tops, while grabbing other clothes they felt my wardrobe was in desperate need of.

The three of us spent hours Wednesday night jumping from store to store and raiding the clothes racks. Normally, I'd stick to the sales racks, but my mom had been very generous with my shopping allowance and I couldn't help but take advantage of it. I'd walked away with clothes from Forever 21, Charlotte Russe, and a few other stores; my bags were heavy from the weight of skirts, dresses, leggings, and tops. I'd even managed to save enough money to buy two pairs of ankle boots and two pairs of flats (all of which were on sale at Payless). In case you can't tell, I'm not an avid shopper, but even I knew as we left the mall that I'd done really well for myself; I'd managed to hit a great sale at Aerie and I'd been able to splurge on two new bras and a few new pairs of panties. The bras were bought at the persistence of Rowan who seemed to feel that since I was hanging out with a guy, I had to be prepared. For what, I still wasn't sure. Did she think I was going to suddenly rip my shirt off and try to jump Jared? Did she think Jared saw me as more than just a friend?

Mom and I didn't get home until just after nine; and I didn't crawl into bed till close ten. She'd wanted a fashion show and spent close to half an hour helping me plan out my outfit for tomorrow and praising the purchases. I knew she was happy I'd pushed myself out of my comfort zone and bought things other then leggings and sweaters.

Settling myself into bed I suddenly remembered my phone; it'd become an extension of my body over the course of the last few days. I didn't want to be one of those girls who was constantly checking her phone though, so I made sure to leave it in my locker during classes, but when I got home it was always nearby, just in case Jared wanted to talk. Jumping back out of bed my feet padded across the bedroom and I dug through my purse looking for the phone – it lit up with a series of text messages from Jared that I hadn't noticed while I'd hung out with my girlfriends.

 _4:48pm: Have fun tonight =)_

 _5:53pm: What're you up to?_

 _7:45pm: Still out?_

 _8:42pm: Let me know when you're home!_

 _9:27pm: Text if you want to talk ;)_

The messages were short and concise; he didn't say anything much and certainly nothing deep or swoon worthy… But my heart beat quicker while I typed out a short reply:

 _Hey Jared! Just got home, sorry I didn't respond earlier – the mall was so loud I didn't hear my phone go off. How was your night?_

The response was almost immediate:

 _Glad you're home safe – it was fine. Not as fun as yours. How was shopping?_

Was he serious? Did he actually want to know? Weren't guys supposed to find shopping boring?

 _I had a great time – girls night out is always fun._

 _Find anything good?_

My eyes narrowed while I considered what he meant; I couldn't help but read between the lines… Did he want to know everything I bought? No. Probably not. Did he want to hear about an outfit that would make me feel confident? Maybe… but that'd be really awkward to talk about, wouldn't it?

I opted for a vague response: _I think so =)_

 _Well, I can't wait to see you in it._

My heart was racing – his word choice here seemed significant. It wasn't that he wanted to see the clothes, he was excited to see _me_ in _them_.

There's something about texting that feels liberating; you feel free to say things that you wouldn't normally say to another person's face… That's probably one reason cyberbullying is such an issue, but right now I couldn't help but feel thankful for the technology. Sometimes when I talked to Jared I was totally fine; other times I could be a nervous, stuttering mess. Texting was easy. Texting made me feel fearless.

 _But you'll have to wait till tomorrow._ A simple reply was all I could come up with. There was so much I wanted to say but I was having trouble deciding how to phrase my thoughts when my phone vibrated in my palm.

 _Why wait? What're you up to now?_

Was he joking? It was ten at night. My mom was in bed… Hell, I was in bed.

 _It's late._

 _But you're up!_

 _You want to come over at ten on a school night? Are you crazy?_

 _Do you want me to?_

 _My mom's asleep…_

 _Do you want me to stop by for a bit? I'm nearby… We can be quiet._

It was crazy. It was reckless. But I felt fearless and I missed him. He was just my friend and I missed him even though I'd just seen him hours ago after school when he walked me home. I gave my room a quick once-over, it was neat and there was nothing embarrassingly nerdy poking out. I typed quickly before I could change my mind.

 _Okay, come over._

And like a gunshot I was up and out of my bed, straightening up and trying my best to make myself look presentable. I pinched my cheeks and put on a light layer of Chapstick. My pajamas were simple: shorts and a loose tank top which hung low showing off the sides of my ribcage through the arm holes. I tossed my dance bag into the closet and grabbed the leotard that was lying on the floor from yesterday after dance and hung it back up. It felt like mere minutes and I'd expected to have even more time to straighten up, to sneak to the front door and wait for Jared's arrival… But I never got that far. A faint tapping came from my window and I nearly jumped out of my skin: there he was in all of his gorgeous glory.

I walked to the window and Jared's grin widened, looking almost wolfish. Pushing the window up I looked out into the night and saw Jared was perched precariously in the tree that had always been outside my window for as long as I could remember. In that moment though, with Jared smiling at me from his little perch, looking so large in such an unsturdy tree, I realized I never truly appreciated this tree as much as I should have.

Stepping back from my window into my small bedroom, I gave Jared enough room to crawl through. His large frame managed to make it through the small window, and I watched in awe as his muscles came alive under his skin, pulling himself through the window with what seemed like very little effort. _I wanted those arms wrapped around me._

 **Jared's POV**

I couldn't believe my luck. I was here. In her bedroom.

When I'd offered to come over I'd figured I'd get a polite rejection, or maybe even a response like "no, asshole, it's ten at night and I'm not a booty call," but I hadn't. The ballsy suggestion had paid off in spades and now I was here. In her freaking bedroom. My senses were feeling overwhelmed by the sheer Kim-ness of everything in such a small space. Her room was tiny, but filled with everything I could tell she loved. Books were ordered reverently on her bookshelf; her desk was clean, the calendar that hung by her closet door was color coded, her spare fleece blanket was folded neatly at the edge of her bed, and her night table had a stack of books on it at least eight high ready to be picked up and read at a moment's notice.

I guess I didn't realize I'd just been standing there like a mute while I took it all in; I almost wished Kim wasn't here with me. I wanted to explore every nook and crevice of this little bedroom, to discover Kim's likes and dislikes, loves, and preferences by rooting through her room… The urge was strong, but I shook it off. She was always so nervous the last thing I wanted to do was make her wildly uncomfortable. Shaking my head quickly to clear my thoughts I brought my attention back to Kim. It was an easy, natural shift; she was, after all, the most gorgeous and perfect girl I've ever met and the idea that one day we would be together felt like it would never get old. She would always be just as captivating and mysterious as she is now. When my eyes found hers, I finally noticed her expression: her cheeks were flushed and she was breathing a bit heavier than usual – she was nervous I quickly realized. Probably because this was uncharted territory – after all, how often did she have guys over, and in her room? It was Kim… so the answer was obvious: Never.

And then I saw her chest. Her accelerated breathing was causing her chest to rise and fall a bit more rapidly than usual; a nervous flush had spread down her neck to her chest where, I quickly realized she'd gone braless. My brain suddenly fizzled before going starkly blank.

It was ten at night, and I'd clearly thrown off her evening ritual, and yet the only thing I could focus on was that the absolute love of my life, most gorgeous girl I've ever laid eyes on, had totally forgotten to throw on a bra before I came by. Biting back my smile was difficult and pulling my eyes away from her chest was easily among the most difficult things I've done. Ever. I couldn't even help it; her tits were fantastic and it was literally all I could do to drag my eyes away from them. They were larger than I would've guessed considering she kept them hidden beneath those big sweaters she wore at school; they were round and perky. I already knew they'd fit into my palms perfectly and I couldn't help the visions of her moaning as I palmed her breasts – these thoughts would haunt me for weeks, months even.

Suddenly she crossed her arms over her chest, a self-conscious gesture that left me feeling like the biggest jackass turned pervert imaginable. She'd caught me staring.

"I'm so sorry," I stuttered out, my usually confident demeanor gone. She'd caught me staring red-handed and I had no clue what to say. Was there anything I could say that wouldn't leave me sounding like a horny high schooler?

She nodded quickly, but her arms stayed firmly crossed over chest. "No, I…" she began as her eyes frantically searched her room, probably for a sweater, "I'm sorry… I was in bed when you asked to come by…"

Her voice was barely above a whisper but I could hear her clear as day. I was attuned to everything Kim.

I grabbed the fleece blanket off the bottom of her bed and held it out to her as a sort of peace-offering, although the last thing I wanted was to see her cover herself up. What I really wanted to do was lean forward and take her hands in mine, gently uncrossing her arms from her chest, before I kissed my way down her neck to the top swells of each breast. I wanted her chest to be heaving because she was panting my name, her eyes clenched shut in pleasure.

She smiled as she took it, "Thanks, Jared."

God, just the way she said my name had me getting hard. Everything about this situation was more than I expected; her barely there outfit, her gorgeously large breasts, the swell of her ass in those little shorts she was wearing… Visiting her was turning out to be one of the greatest decisions of my entire life, but also one of the hardest. What I really needed to do was snatch that blanket back and use it to cover my rapidly hardening dick. But her smile as she thanked me was so sweet that I knew I'd never take that blanket back from her, even it meant exposing my own reaction to her sexy body.

There were a few moments where neither of us spoke, unsure of what to say… I mean, I get it: I had just been caught staring at her tits and there was a huge chance she saw my hard dick straining against my Nike shorts. We sat together on her bed, both waiting for the other to start the conversation and too scared to begin it on our own.

"So, what's this late night visit about?" she asked as one of her hands released its grip on the blanket so she could move some long strands of hair behind her ear. Without thinking I leaned forward and grasped her hand before she could return it to the blanket, my thumb rubbed circles into her palm and I heard the whispered gasp of surprise escape her lips.

"I just wanted to see you," was all I said… **Needed** to see her would've sounded too desperate.

Her cheeks blushed a dark shade of red and she nodded, seeming to understand where I was coming from.

"Well it's good to see you." Was her simple, but satisfying reply.

We sat for a little longer in silence, my thumb swirling random patterns into her palm; her eyes seemed steadfastly glued to our intertwined hands.

"This is a bit strange isn't it?" She wondered aloud, quickly glancing up at me for some sort of agreement or confirmation.

"What do you mean?" I felt bad asking. I knew exactly what she meant but I wanted to hear her say the words.

She was working up the courage to talk, to express herself. I knew she got anxious around me sometimes, but the only way for her to become comfortable around me was if she felt ready to share her thoughts and feelings. I may feel attuned to everything related to Kim - her scent, her moods, her anxiety - but I knew it was an integral step in the imprinting process to be able to share one's thoughts and feelings vocally.

"I mean it's all so sudden and here you are."

"Here I am." I nodded, smiling brightly and staring directly into her dark eyes. It was like staring into the sun. Her gaze was warm and nurturing; the only difference was that I never wanted to look away.

"It hasn't even been a full week… And…" she looked around her room, her body weight shifting unconsciously towards me, "I feel like I've known you forever."

"Trust me," I breathed in deeply, inhaling a scent that was inherently Kim, "I know exactly how you feel."

She stared into my eyes for a few more moments – moments that seemed to last forever while simultaneously feeling like they were also flying by at the speed of light.

I couldn't help but to reach my other hand out and grab hold of some of Kim's long hair that had snuck back over her shoulder. Twirling it around my finger I leaned in close, only inches away from her. Her eyebrows inched upward – _could she feel the heat radiating off of me?_ – and a little smile caught the corner of her lip and quirked it upward in a jaw-dropping smirk.

I took a deep breath. _She's my imprint. This is fated to work out._

"I was wondering what you'd think about going out with me this weekend?"

There. It was out there. The question I'd been ready to ask her since day one was officially out in the open and the ball was in her court. The fear of pushing for a committed relationship as opposed to a friendship had been worrying me endlessly for the past few days, but I knew the second she told me she'd left for her grandmother's house without saying goodbye, or seeing me one last time, that I needed more than just a friendship from her. I needed a commitment. I wanted to matter to her the same way she mattered to me. To become her best friend, her confidant, the person she'd turn to when she was at her happiest and at her worst. The pull of the imprint bond was overwhelming; it was only when I was with her that my body didn't seem to hum from my overly acute senses. With Kim, I felt at peace. Comfortable. Confident. And yet I couldn't remember a time when I'd felt more nervous around a girl. It was a strange thing to know that at only eighteen I'd met the absolute love of my life; it was even stranger to know that she had no idea.

The smile that lit up Kim's face could've stopped wars. She was radiant and I wanted to commit that smile to memory, to have her look at me with those adoring eyes and beautiful smile every day. Instinctively I knew that I wanted that smile to be reserved for me.

"Yes." A simple reply, but it held more weight than Kim could truly understand at this point. Weeks or months from now, whenever I told Kim the truth about our imprinting and the phasing, I would pinpoint this moment as the definitive start of our relationship. Not the moment our eyes met in class. Not our dinner on the beach. But this moment. The one where she acknowledged that there was some sort of chemistry between us and agreed to give it a shot.


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: Hey everyone out there in cyber world, reading this on their phone... or tablet... or computer. It's been months since I updated this story, and that's my own fault. A lot has happened over the course of the past several months and this fanfic just completely fell to the sidelines. And I'm so sorry - I hate when other authors do that. This week my students had some testing to do, which gave me some free time and guess what I stumbled across... A few chapters of this story hiding on my computer, and just like that: the spark was back. I hope you enjoy this chapter. Some of it was written before I took that long hiatus, and other parts are brand new. Hopefully the writing flows well and doesn't seem disjointed. Drop a comment if you like it!

 **Chapter 14**

 **Jared's POV**

Considering his wolf capabilities, I wasn't sure I'd ever understand why the fuck Paul was so slow in the morning.

He knew I wanted to get to school. He knew I wanted to see Kim. And yet he was still dragging his ass around his house pretending to pack a lunch or look for textbooks that he didn't give a shit about. Most importantly, he knew he was making me wait. What he didn't seem to get was that he was playing a dangerous game; anything that kept me away from Kim was not a priority and he was testing me.

Closing my eyes and leaning my head back against the headrest I tried to practice the breathing techniques Emily was teaching us; she thought they might help calm us down in high-pressure situations and I was game to try anything that didn't make my body explode into a wolf… But Paul is pissing me off and I'm pretty sure he's doing it on purpose.

The faint creak of his front door had my eyes snapping open; he looked downright miserable as he hustled over to my truck. Flinging the door open and ducking down inside the cabin he muttered a quick apology. "Sorry man, overslept." Of course. He'd taken the late shift again last night… Which was bullshit in itself. Sam might have to run the perimeter alone while Paul and I were at school, but he also needed to check his attitude and realize that making us run the perimeter from midnight till dawn was a degree of bullshit all by itself. He was pushing us through school, determined that we get our high school diplomas at the very least, but he wasn't making it easy. Being a part of the pack came with a whole mess of responsibilities – ones he assured us would get easier as more guys phased. But the joke seemed to be on him; no one else had phased in the past two months and between the three of us, we were being run ragged.

The second I heard his door click shut we were off, driving as quickly as possible down the slippery, pothole-ridden streets of this rundown reservation. I should've been paying closer attention to my driving, at least making some sort of effort to avoid the potholes but I couldn't get her off my mind… Kim. I was so freakin' late at this point that I wasn't sure if she'd still be at her locker by the time we finally got to the school, or if she would've gone to class. Who the hell was I trying to kid? She was probably in class – she wouldn't risk being late for anyone.

"Please Jared, for the love of God, wipe that stupid fucking smile off your fucking face."

And just like that I was ready to punch him in the face. Again.

By the time we'd gotten to school Kim was, as expected, already in her math class. We'd barely made it to school before it was time to get our sorry asses to first period, but I couldn't _not_ see her. In the course of a week she'd become part of my life – part of my body. Like a new limb that I needed to constantly reassure myself was there. So, like a total stalker, I took the long way to class just so I could stare through the doorway to her math class to make sure she was there.

Her head bent down, forehead crinkled in concentration, it was clear she was doing some sort of assignment when I looked in at her; she was gorgeous and perfect, even from a distance. Studious and quiet – so unlike the other girls I'd gone out with before. My mom would absolutely love her. I'd planned to just peek in quickly and then get to class, so I was surprised when Rowan noticed me and nudged Kim, before nodding in my direction. I didn't have anything against Rowan, but I also wasn't an idiot. The girl was suspicious of me – she saw my relationship… my friendship – with Kim as too much, too soon. If the circumstances weren't actually so wildly different, I would've been in agreement. But everything for us was so different on a cosmic level – what we had was destined… fate. And there isn't enough time in my day to spare dealing with any crazy shit she tries putting into Kim's head.

Kim's head looked up from her work, her eyes squinting and her forehead crinkled from her fierce concentration. But then she saw me. And this smile – this megawatt smile – spread beautifully across her face and my heart stopped. Like a total loser, all I could manage was a quick smile and wink before hauling ass to class. Kim wouldn't be impressed if I had to spend my lunch in detention instead of with her; and I wasn't about to disappoint.

I tried to get to Legends class a little bit on the early side, just in case Kim did. And that's when I saw him… One of my least favorite people: Dakota.

He's a guy I've known forever; he lives down the street from me, but we've never been friends. Acquaintances is what my mom would call it. We nod. We're polite. Basically, we acknowledge one another's presence on the planet… and that's pretty much it. He's such a God damn brownnoser that he can be pretty difficult to put up with sometimes. And then there's his 'friendship' with Kim. It didn't even take me two days to realize that the clown likes her as more than just a friend, but with Kim being so shy – and mildly naïve from what I could tell she'd probably never picked up on his pathetic signals. Not that it matters. I'm not naïve. I'm not blind. And I'm not about to put up with that bullshit.

He was leaning up against the lockers outside of class by the time I showed up, clearly waiting for someone. My instincts flaring up – the hair starting to stand up on the back of my neck, every noise in the hall amplified. Being a wolf had changed me… Obviously. But it was more than just the new speed and the ability to transform into a massive wolf. When it came to Kim the imprint bond was nothing like I would've expected – I felt fiercely protective of her, but the connection went further. She was mine on a deep level; we were connected in a way no one who hadn't experienced an imprint bond could ever understand. A level I didn't realize existed until our eyes connected. She was mine; not Dakota's. It was a fact. A new way of life. And he needed to learn his fucking place.

I leaned up against the locker next to him, shifting so that my arm grazed his and, just as expected, he took a small step away, inadvertently recoiling from that light touch. He may be a brownnoser but he's not a fool; he could feel the dangerous waves rolling off of me and his instincts were kicking in.

"So Dakota, what's new?" I leaned in a little bit watching victoriously as he edged a little further down the line of lockers.

"Oh, uh…" he stuttered. So much for that big brain of his when a big, strong guy was around. "Nothing much…" I continued starring at him, watching his internal debate whether to further the conversation or walk away. "What about you?"

My eyes never left his as I crossed my arms across my chest, purposefully making sure to flex my muscles as I did.

"A lot."

The next few moments were filled by a tense silence. It was a dick answer, but I'm in a dick mood.

"Hey Jared, hi Dakota." The voice came from behind me; it was sweet and seemed to float in the air like an old song. A wave of calm washed over me instantly. Muscles that had been clenching in annoyance with Dakota unwound without a second thought. My guarded demeanor with him dropped quickly as I turned to take in Kim. She was wearing a skirt for a change – I'm not sure I've ever seen her in a skirt before – and it showed off her long, tan legs. They were toned from years of dance lessons and mostly went unnoticed thanks to her penchant for leggings.

"Kim," I breathed as I took her in. Her smile was radiating like a sun burst; she looked beautiful and content. Reaching out to take her books from her, I searched my mind for something to say… Something that wouldn't sound dumb. Something polite maybe? Or impressive?

"So what'd you think of that link I sent you last night?" Dakota interrupted, stepping forward from his nervously slouched position up against the locker.

I shot him a dirty look, but with his eyes glued to Kim he missed it.

She sighed softly – something I only caught thanks to my wolf-hearing – and slowly pulled a few strands of hair that'd fallen out of her low bun behind her ear. "Actually, I wasn't able to read it yet. I was out with Rowan and Lily." She smiled apologetically and shrugged her shoulders as if to say 'what do you expect?'

 _And then she was with me_. It was a smug thought, and I had to catch myself before I said it aloud; last night had been a glorious night – one I'd be bragging about later to Paul, Sam, and Emily – but I had the distinct feeling that if I brought it up now, it'd only serve to embarrass Kim.

Kim looked up at me expectantly, her big doe eyes wide and seemingly innocent.

"Ready to go in?" I asked. I was tempted to snake my arm around her waist or shoulders, but a sudden shout from down the hall had Kim turning around abruptly, ignoring Dakota's last ditch attempt to pull her into a conversation.

Rowan was jogging up the hall with two bottles of water in her hands, one outstretched for Kim. "All yours, girl."

"Thanks, Ro." Kim smiled back before Rowan grabbed her by the arm and dragged her into class. I was left staring at Dakota before he turned and followed them in. Catching snippets of their conversation it was pretty easy to understand that they were talking about the shopping spree last night – not something I especially care about but, since I care about Kim more than literally anything, I did my best to listen in subtly, without actually looking like I was eavesdropping.

"How about I drive us home from dance class tonight? The three of us can grab something to eat on the way home before we get to your house; Lily needs one of us to edit her English essay on Othello for her, and I can raid your closet and work on putting some more outfits together for you.

"Yea," Kim's enthusiasm was adorable, "that'd be great. I'll just text my mom to let her know I don't need the car."

"Perfect!"

"But it can't be too late of a night – I still want to review my notes for the health test tomorrow."

"Seriously… It's health."

"Listen," Kim started before lowering her voice to a near whisper, "I am not about to be the girl who failed sex ed."

Rowan's laugh echoed off the classroom walls, but she lowered her voice to match Kim's in response, "I'm not sure if you're aware of this Kimmy, but you're not the type of girl to fail anything… And that includes diagramming reproductive organs."

The bell cut through the dull chatter of the rest of our classmates and Mr. Navi hustled into the classroom looking exhausted and out of breath.

Kim settled into her seat next to me and smiled shyly up at me.

"I like your skirt; it looks great on you." It was a simple compliment but I'd learned from growing up with a single mom that, when in doubt, compliments were always the way to go. Need a conversation starter? Compliment the person. A favor? Compliment first. Need to get out of trouble? Compliment the person.

Her cheeks flushed and she seemed momentarily flustered… So. Fucking. Adorable.

"Thanks, it's one of my favorite things I got yesterday."

"Well, you look fantastic… but I think you look fantastic no matter what you wear, so maybe I'm just a bit biased."

I was surprised when she didn't break eye contact, but instead responded confidently, "Maybe just a bit."

Glancing up towards the front of the classroom it was pretty clear that Mr. Navi wasn't about to get this lesson rolling anytime soon; for a guy who could get really excited about a lesson, he was also super unprepared. Not that I minded – in fact, as I watched him fumble with the computer cords, I couldn't help but to be grateful to the poor guy. His misfortune, poor timing, or general lack of teacher know-how… whatever you want to call it… meant that I had just a few more minutes of Kim's attention.

Leaning back in my chair, casually throwing my arm around the back of Kim's, I flexed my muscles and smiled down at her petite frame. Her cheeks were permanently tinged pink and her eyes gazed into mine adorably radiating nerves and excitement.

"Sounds like you and your friends have another busy night planned."

"You were eavesdropping?" She whispered, feigning surprise and wiggling her eyebrows. Opening her water bottle and taking a short swig, "How rude. Haven't you ever heard that some consider it rude to listen in on other people's conversations?"

"Of course," I laughed, "But I didn't think you'd find it rude."

"Maybe not, but Rowan might."

"Does it matter? That I listened in?" The question seemed off the cuff – almost as though the answer wouldn't faze me one way or another – but it would. I knew that. If she told me it mattered, annoyed her, whatever, I knew I wouldn't do it again for the rest of my life.

She smiled, pondering my question, before a short reply "No… I guess not."

Of their own accord my fingertips slowly grazed the exposed sliver of arm just below her shoulder; her top was subtly sexy in a way only Kim, shy and sweet, could pull off. It was a black long-sleeved top with cutouts from her shoulder to a few inches down on the top of her arm. On any other girl this outfit might have seemed normal, boring, average. On Kim it was a step out of the shadows. So, as her head whipped to the left to gaze down at my fingers, I continued dragging them back and forth. The touch wasn't gentle, but it wasn't rough either.

 **Kim's POV**

The calloused pads of his fingers were sending chills up and down my spine; my nerves felt frayed – static shocks shooting out in all directions while my mind tried to grapple with the situation at hand. Jared. His hand. Touching my arm. Fingers moving, up and down. On. Purpose.

It all felt like too much but at the same time not enough. A thought entered my mind, so unusual for me that I blushed profusely, my head suddenly pounding: I wanted to feel his fingers somewhere else. I wanted to go back in time, to last night when he snuck into my bedroom. I wanted him to lay me down on my bed, worshipping my body as his lips dragged from the top of my head down to my toes. Shivers erupted as I imagined his fingers grazing my thighs – exposed to him in those short sleep shorts.

"You okay?" He asked; my head whipped back to his face, shocked out of the daydream as if a bucket of water had just landed on my overheated skin.

Too startled to answer my anxiety was rearing it's ugly head; doubt creeping in… Was I being weird? Is it weird to think like this? In the middle of class? In the middle of a school day? Could he tell?

"Is this okay?" Jared wondered as he nodded his head in the direction of his hand, which was still dragging up and down my arm, unknowingly eliciting all kinds of new thoughts and ideas.

Abso-freaking-lutley, was what I wanted to say. To scream. But, instead I settled for a nod and a smile, not trusting myself to say anything aloud just yet. Next to me Jared grinned wickedly.

"Good to know."

With a shake of my head I leaned into his touch, hoping it wasn't too obvious, and flipped open my planner to jot down tonight's plans and reschedule my miniature study session.

Jared leaned in suddenly, his thick finger pointing to Saturday's blank slot.

"Don't forget to add me in. We've got plans."

And just like that. Day. Made.


End file.
